Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference

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Program and Abstract Volume

LPI Contribution No. 1534 NEXT-GENERATION SUBORBITAL RESEARCHERS CONFERENCE

February 18–20, 2010 • Boulder, Colorado

Sponsors

Lunar and Planetary Institute Universities Space Research Association Commercial Spaceflight Federation Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation NASA Ames Research Center Southwest Research Institute Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Special Aerospace Services The National AeroSpace Training and Research Center (NASTAR Center) United Launch Alliance Virgin Galactic SpaceRef.coM Masten Space Systems

Conveners

S. Alan Stern, Southwest Research Institute,Boulder Daniel Durda, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder John Gedmark, Commercial Spaceflight Federation Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute Mark Sirangelo, Commercial Spaceflight Federation Fred Tarantino, Universities Space Research Association

Scientific Organizing Committee

S. Alan Stern (Chair), Southwest Research Institute, Boulder Steven Collicott, Purdue University Joshua Colwell, University of Central Florida Daniel Durda, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder Christoph Englert, Naval Research Laboratory David Grinspoon, Denver Museum of Nature and Science Richard Miles, Princeton University John Pojman, Louisiana State University Mark Shelhamer, Johns Hopkins University Michael Summers, George Mason University Erika Wagner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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LPI Contribution No. 1534

Compiled in 2009 by LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE

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Author A. B. (2009) Title of abstract. In Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, p. XX. LPI Contribution No. 1534, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston.

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ISSN No. 0161-5297 PREFACE

This volume contains abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the meeting on Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, February 18–20, 2010, Boulder, Colorado.

Administration and publications support for this meeting were provided by the staff of the Publications and Program Services Department at the Lunar and Planetary Institute.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference v

CONTENTS

Program ...... x

Magnetic Braking and Heat Shield Research with a Capsule-type Reentry Body T. Abe ...... 1

Combustion and Thermal-Fluids Research Opportunities Created by the Expected Commercial Sub-Orbital Capabilities J. I. D. Alexander ...... 2

Virgin Galactic and Suborbital Science S. Attenborough...... 3

Potential Life Science Projects for Sub-Orbital Flights: Bridging the Gap Between Applied and Basic Research F. O. Black and M. Shelhamer ...... 5

An Experiment Carrier Capsule Demonstrator Project with Hyperspectral Imaging for VTVL Vehicles R. M. Branly and E. S. Howard...... 6

Commercial Space Utilization M. A. Brekke...... 7

Effective Interfacial Tension Driven Convection: A Planned Suborbital Investigation P. Bunton and J. A. Pojman ...... 8

Suborbital Micro-Gravity Research: Tapping the Rich Legacy of Accomplishment for the Next-Gen Launch Vehicle Research Era J. M. Cassanto, R. M. Jones, and D. Yoel ...... 10

Results and Lessons Learned from Performance Testing of Humans in Spacesuits in Simulated Reduced Gravity S. P. Chappell, J. R. Norcross, and M. L. Gernhardt...... 11

Acquisition of a Biomedical Database of Acute Responses to Space Flight During Commercial Personal Sub-Orbital Flights J. B. Charles and E. E. Richard ...... 13

Medical Support for a Manned Stratospheric Balloon and Freefall Parachute Flight Test Program J. B. Clark, A. A. Pilmanis, D. H. Murray, M. Turney, C. G. Bayne, and J. P. Bagian ...... 15

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!: Using Suborbital Flight Programs to Support Formal and Informal Education (and Vice Versa) E. A. CoBabe-Ammann...... 16

Armadillo Aerospace and Purdue University Student Experiment Program S. H. Collicott...... 17

Capillary Fluids Design for an Experiment for Next-Gen Suborbital Flight S. H. Collicott and L. Sharp ...... 18

Building Planets on Suborbital Flights J. E. Colwell, J. Blum, and D. D. Durda ...... 20 vi LPI Contribution No. 1534

Education and Public Outreach from Extreme Locations K. L. Cowing ...... 22

Medical Considerations for Suborbital Spaceflight Operations C. M. Cuttino...... 23

Solar Observing from Next-Generation Suborbital Platforms C. DeForest...... 25

Education Partnerships in the Stratosphere: Airborne Astronomy Education and Outreach E. K. DeVore and D. E. Backman ...... 26

Investigating Upper Atmospheric Dynamics from Next Generation Suborbital Platforms: Novel Observation Opportunities and Accelerated Development of Innovative Instrumentation C. R. Englert, J. M. Harlander, D. E. Siskind, and D. D. Babcock...... 27

Dynamic Characterization of Lunar Simulants Using Resonant Column Procedures T. Freeborn, M. Nakagawa, J. Wang, and M. Weinstein ...... 28

NSRC Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Science Opportunities D. Fritts...... 29

The Focusing Optics X-Ray Solar Imager L. Glesener, S. Krucker, and S. Christe...... 30

Three Dimensional Human Tissues as Surrogates for Research into Human Cellular Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics During Suborbital Space Flight T. J. Goodwin, T. B. Albrecht, M. A. Schmidt, R. Goodacre, I. Sharina, and F. Murad ...... 31

Getting Teachers Involved in Research: A Potential Component of Future Sub-Orbital Missions V. Gorjian, L. M. Rebull, T. Spuck, G. Squires, and the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program Team...... 33

Research and Education Mission Capabilities of Lynx Suborbital Vehicle J. K. Greason, K. R. McKee, and D. DeLong...... 34

Inspiring Minds: Creating Awareness for Next-Generation Suborbital Spaceflight G. Griffin...... 35

Collisional Evolution of Many-Particle Systems in Astrophysics C. Güttler, J. Blum, J. E. Colwell, R. Weidling, and D. Heißelmann ...... 36

Experiments in the Lower Ionosphere Enabled by the Next Generation Sub-Orbital Vehicles R. A. Heelis...... 38

Environmental Control and Life Support for Human Space Vehicles – Micro/Partial-Gravity Testing Needs K. M. Hurlbert...... 39

Performing Atmospheric and Ionospheric Science Experiments at the Edge of Space T. J. Immel...... 40

Seismic Shaking Experiments in Milligravity Environments N. R. Izenberg...... 41

Prizes as a Tool for Engaging Researchers and Students N. Jordan and E. B. Wagner ...... 43

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference vii

An Agenda for Sensorimotor Research in Sub-Orbital Flight F. Karmali and M. Shelhamer...... 44

Using DSMC Modeling of Rocket Aerodynamics as a Measurement Aid in the Mesosphere S. Knappmiller, J. Gumbel, M. Horanyi, S. Robertson, and Z. Sternovsky ...... 45

The Key to Our Future Ability to Lead and Compete C. Koehler ...... 46

The Development of a Novel Infrastructure for Biomedical Monitoring of Space Participants R. Komatireddy, S. C. Casey, M. Wiskerchen, A. Damle, M. A. Schmidt, and B. Reiter...... 47

Next Generation Suborbital Activities: Assessment of a Commercial Stepping Stone D. I. Lackner and O. M. Al-Midani ...... 49

New Shepard Vehicle for Research and Education Missions G. Lai...... 50

Social Networking Planetary Science: How to Bring the Public Along on Suborbital Flights E. Lakdawalla...... 51

Airborne Astronomy: Launching Astronomers into the Stratosphere D. Lester...... 52

Ultraviolet Astronomy with the X-15 Rocket Research Aircraft: Lessons Learned for Next-Generation Suborbital Vehicles C. F. Lillie, A. D. Code, M. Burkhead, and L. R. Doherty ...... 53

Atmospheric Science Payloads for Suborbital Flights C. Lockowandt and S. Grahn ...... 54

Microgravity Science Payloads for Suborbital Flights C. Lockowandt and S. Grahn ...... 55

The Canadian/Norwegian Student Sounding Rocket Program (CaNoRock) I. R. Mann, D. J. Knudsen, K. A. McWilliams, K. Dahle, J. Moen, E. V. Thrane, and A. Hansen...... 56

The Case for Human-tended Suborbital Particle-Aggregation Experiments J. R. Marshall and G. Delory ...... 57

Beginning of a Student Experimental Space Science High Altitude Balloon Program at University of Alberta M. L. P. Mazzino, D. Miles, T. Wood, J. Rae, K. Murphy, and I. R. Mann ...... 58

Science When Flight Rate and Turn Time Don't Matter M. Mealling...... 59

Using the Shuttle, MIR and ISS for Operating Micro-Gravity Engineering Research Laboratories D. Miller...... 60

ZERO-Robotics: A Student Competition Aboard the International Space Station D. W. Miller...... 61

Flow Boiling for Thermal Management in Microgravity and Reduced Gravity Space Systems I. Mudawar...... 63 viii LPI Contribution No. 1534

The SOAREX Sub-Orbital Flight Series M. S. Murbach...... 65

Fabrication in Microgravity Using "Wet Processes" M. N. Nabavi ...... 66

Annular/Stratified Low-Gravity Internal Condensing Flows in Millimeter to Micrometer Scale Ducts A. Narain, S. Mitra, S. D. Kulkarni, and M. Kivisalu...... 67

Stability of Evaporating Films in the Absence of Gravity – Isolation of Instability Mechanisms A. D. Narendranath, J. S. Allen, and J. C. Hermanson ...... 68

High Precision Spectroscopy from the Edge of Space S. N. Osterman ...... 69

Vulcan TP/PDA – A Modular Materials Processing System for Proprietary R&D R. A. Overfelt...... 70

Exploring the Last Frontier L. J. Paxton ...... 72

Integrating Education, Research, and Design-Build-Fly: Perspectives from AggieSat H. L. Reed...... 74

Reducing the Complexities of Integrating Suborbital Capabilities B. G. Reiter and M. A. Schmidt ...... 75

Employing Onboard Video for Enhancing Suborbital Research R. W. Ridenoure ...... 76

High-Altitude Boundary-Layer Transition — Prospects for Research W. S. Saric and H. L. Reed ...... 77

XPC — A Novel Platform for Suborbital Research P. Schallhorn, C. Groves, C. Tatro, B. Kutter, G. Szatkowski, M. Gravlee, T. Bulk, and B. Pitchford...... 78

Scientific Opportuniteis Enabled via Affordable Suborbital Access J. Schmisseur...... 79

Design of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer for Surface Temperature Analysis and Chlorophyll Content Incorporating Nano/Pico Satellites R. K. Sinha and R. Sivakumar ...... 80

Problems in the MLT Region of the Atmosphere Which Need a New Approach D. E. Siskind...... 81

Implementing the NASA CRuSR Program M. G. Skidmore, D. C. Maclise, Y. D. Cagle, R. C. Mains, and L. Chu-Thielbar ...... 82

The Atsa Suborbital Observatory: Using Crewed Suborbital Spacecraft for a Low-Cost Space-Borne Telescope L. S. Sollitt and F. Vilas...... 83

SpaceX DragonLab: A Platform for Longer Duration Microgravity Experimentation E. Spengler and M. Vozoff...... 85

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference ix

Improving Mission Flexibility with the Hippogriff Propulsion Module R. C. Steinke ...... 86

Planetary Science from a Next-Gen Suborbital Platform: Sleuthing the Long Sought After Vulcanoid Asteroids S. A. Stern, D. D. Durda, M. Davis, and C. B. Olkin...... 97

Some Issues in Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere Chemistry that can be Addressed with Measurements from Next-Generation Suborbital Vehicles M. E. Summers ...... 88

National Space Biomedical Research Institute and Space Life Science Research J. P. Sutton ...... 89 eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship S. Tibbits...... 90

Dynamic Microscopy in Suborbital Flight P. Todd, M. A. Kurk, J. C. Vellinger, and R. E. Boling...... 91

Sliding Cavity Accommodations for Liquid-Liquid and Thin-Film Experiments in Low Gravity P. Todd, J. C. Vellinger, M. S. Deuser, and R. E. Boling...... 93

Next-Generation Modular Recovery Systems B. A. Tutt and J. Barber...... 95

Solar System Astronomy with Suborbital Crewed Spacecraft: Advantages and Challenges F. Vilas and L. Sollitt ...... 96

Use of Suborbital Flight to Elucidate the Role of Tonic Otolith Stimulation Due to Gravity in Balance Testing and Orientation Tasks C. Wall...... 98

My Astronaut.Org: Vote for and Fund Suborbital Space Heroes E. F. Wallace...... 100

Applied Low-Gravity Fluids Research: Potential for Suborbital Flights M. M. Weislogel ...... 102

Convergence of Space Tourist Processing and Suborbital Payload Processing in Spaceport Facility Design S. W. Ximenes...... 103

Life Science Opportunities in Suborbital Flight L. R. Young...... 104

Brain Hemodynamic Changes Measured With Near-Infrared Spectroscopy During Altered Gravity T. Zeffiro, Q. Zhang, and G. Strangman...... 105 x LPI Contribution No. 1534

PROGRAM

Thursday, February 18, 2010 OPENING SESSION 8:30 a.m. Canyon/Flagstaff

Moderator: Josh Colwell

Welcome Stern S. A. Southwest Research Institute, Associate Vice President Sirangelo M. N. Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Chairman of the Board Tarantino F. A. Universities Space Research Association, President and CEO

Keynotes Garver L. NASA Headquarters, Deputy Administrator Worden S. P. NASA Ames Research Center, Center Director Nield G. C. Federal Aviation Administration, Associate Administrator Stern S. A. Southwest Research Institute, Associate Vice President and Suborbital Applications Researchers Group, Chair

10:00 a.m. Coffee Break Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xi

Thursday, February 18, 2010 REM CAPABILITIES OF NEXT-GEN SUBORBITAL VEHICLES SESSION I 10:30 a.m. Canyon/Flagstaff

This session will review the capabilities of various next-generation suborbital launch systems, with an emphasis on their capabilities and plans for carrying out research and education missions.

Chair: Alan Stern

10:30 a.m. Attenborough S. * Virgin Galactic and Suborbital Science [#4080]

11:00 a.m. Lai G. * New Shepard Vehicle for Research and Education Missions [#4035]

11:30 a.m. Schallhorn P. * Groves C. Tatro C. Kutter B. Szatkowski G. Gravlee M. Bulk T. Pitchford B. XPC — A Novel Platform for Suborbital Research [#4001]

12:00 p.m. Lunch Break xii LPI Contribution No. 1534

Thursday, February 18, 2010 PRESS CONFERENCE 12:15 p.m. Boulder Creek

Invited Speakers Stern S. A. Southwest Research Institute, Associate Vice President Sirangelo M. N. Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Chairman of the Board Worden S. P. NASA Ames Research Center, Center Director Attenborough S. Virgin Galactic, CEO Greason J. XCOR Aerospace, President

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xiii

Thursday, February 18, 2010 REM CAPABILITIES OF NEXT-GEN SUBORBITAL VEHICLES SESSION II 1:30 p.m. Canyon/Flagstaff

This session will review the capabilities of various next-generation suborbital launch systems, with an emphasis on their capabilities and plans for carrying out research and education missions.

Chair: Alan Stern

1:30 p.m. Spengler E. Vozoff M. * SpaceX DragonLab: A Platform for Longer Duration Microgravity Experimentation [#4072]

2:00 p.m. Greason J. K. * McKee K. R. DeLong D. Research and Education Mission Capabilities of Lynx Suborbital Vehicle [#4021]

2:30 p.m. Mealling M. * Science When Flight Rate and Turn Time Don't Matter [#4059]

3:00 p.m. Coffee Break xiv LPI Contribution No. 1534

Thursday, February 18, 2010 PANEL DISCUSSION WITH AUDIENCE QUESTION AND ANSWER: PAYLOAD SPECIALIST AND RESEARCHERS/EDUCATOR ROLES IN NEXT-GEN SUBORBITAL MISSIONS 3:30 p.m. Canyon/Flagstaff

Moderators: Dan Durda Erika Wagner

Panel Participants Stern S. A. Southwest Research Institute, Associate Vice President Cagle Y. D. NASA Ames Research Center, Project Scientist and former NASA Astronaut Davidian K. Federal Aviation Administration, Program Lead Durrance S. T. Florida Institute of Technology, Professor of Physics and former NASA Payload Specialist

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xv

Thursday, February 18, 2010 STUDENT SUBORBITAL EXPERIMENT PROPOSALS 4:30 p.m. Canyon/Flagstaff

Following presentations on the unique suborbital research and business opportunities for students, university student teams will present their proposals for science experiments that utilize the suborbital platform.

Chair: Christopher Koehler

4:30 p.m. Koehler C. * The Key to Our Future Ability to Lead and Compete [#4081]

4:45 p.m. Tibbitts S. * eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship [#4082]

Student Proposal Colorado State University Fiber-Optic Mass Gauging System for Measuring Liquid Levels in a Reduced Gravity Environment New Mexico State University Experimental Validation of a Robotics-based Inertial Property Identification Algorithm for Orbiting Spacecraft University of Colorado Suborbital Flight Testing of a Deployable Reflector

5:30 p.m. Dinner Break xvi LPI Contribution No. 1534

Thursday, February 18, 2010 COMMERCIAL ASPECTS/OTHER 4:30 p.m. Century Room

This session focuses on commercial aspects of suborbital flights and other topics.

Chair: John Pojman

4:30 p.m. Brekke M. A. * Commercial Space Utilization [#4068]

4:45 p.m. Lackner D. I. * Al-Midani O. M. Next Generation Suborbital Activities: Assessment of a Commercial Stepping Stone [#4014]

5:00 p.m. Ximenes S. W. * Convergence of Space Tourist Processing and Suborbital Payload Processing in Spaceport Facility Design [#4057]

5:15 p.m. Cassanto J. M. Jones R. M. Yoel D. Suborbital Micro-Gravity Research: Tapping the Rich Legacy of Accomplishment for the Next-Gen Launch Vehicle Research Era [#4096]

5:30 p.m. Dinner Break

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xvii

Thursday, February 18, 2010 PUBLIC LECTURES 7:30 p.m. University of Colorado - Fiske Planetarium

Invited Speakers Col R. A. Searfoss Chief test pilot for XCOR Aerospace and former Space Shuttle Commander Chaikin A. Author, Speaker, Space Journalist

Question and Answer xviii LPI Contribution No. 1534

Friday, February 19, 2010 ASTRONOMY, SOLAR PHYSICS, AND PLANETARY SCIENCE SESSION I 8:00 a.m. Flagstaff Room

This session will provide an overview of the various astronomical sciences applications for Next-Gen suborbital research.

Chair: Dan Durda

8:00 a.m. DeForest C. * Solar Observing from Next-Generation Suborbital Platforms [#4070]

8:30 a.m. Osterman S. N. * High Precision Spectroscopy from the Edge of Space [#4065]

9:00 a.m. Glesener L. * Krucker S. Christe S. The Focusing Optics X-Ray Solar Imager [#4064]

9:15 a.m. Lillie C. F. * Code A. D. Burkhead M. Doherty L. R. Ultraviolet Astronomy with the X-15 Rocket Research Aircraft: Lessons Learned for Next-Generation Suborbital Vehicles [#4022]

9:30 a.m. Stern S. A. * Durda D. D. Davis M. Olkin C. B. Planetary Science from a Next-Gen Suborbital Platform: Sleuthing the Long Sought After Vulcanoid Asteroids [#4004]

9:45 a.m. Sollitt L. S. * Vilas F. The Atsa Suborbital Observatory: Using Crewed Suborbital Spacecraft for a Low-Cost Space-Borne Telescope [#4025]

10:00 a.m. Coffee Break

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xix

Friday, February 19, 2010 MICROGRAVITY PHYSICS SESSION I 8:00 a.m. Canyon Room

The talks in this session focus on microgravity as a "laboratory". That is, topics in which the absence of gravitational body force enables unique investigations of physical phenomena.

Chair: Steven Collicott

8:00 a.m. Alexander J. I. D. * Combustion and Thermal-Fluids Research Opportunities Created by the Expected Commercial Sub-Orbital Capabilities [#4029]

8:30 a.m. Mudawar I. * Flow Boiling for Thermal Management in Microgravity and Reduced Gravity Space Systems [#4041]

9:00 a.m. Marshall J. R. * Delory G. The Case for Human-tended Suborbital Particle-Aggregation Experiments [#4023]

9:15 a.m. Nabavi M. N. * Fabrication in Microgravity Using "Wet Processes" [#4028]

9:30 a.m. Narain A. * Mitra S. Kulkarni S. D. Kivisalu M. Annular/Stratified Low-Gravity Internal Condensing Flows in Millimeter to Micrometer Scale Ducts [#4040]

9:45 a.m. Narendranath A. D. * Allen J. S. * Hermanson J. C. Stability of Evaporating Films in the Absence of Gravity – Isolation of Instability Mechanisms [#4056]

10:00 a.m. Coffee Break xx LPI Contribution No. 1534

Friday, February 19, 2010 TECHNOLOGY PAYLOADS AND SYMPOSIUM ON DEPLOYABLE VEHICLES SESSION I 8:00 a.m. Century Room

This session addresses the use of suborbital vehicles for the development of new technologies and for the study of physical phenomena through on-board experiments and off-board experiments on deployable vehicles.

Chair: Richard Miles

8:00 a.m. Ridenoure R. W. * Employing Onboard Video for Enhancing Suborbital Research [#4011]

8:30 a.m. Saric W. S. * Reed H. L. * High-Altitude Boundary-Layer Transition — Prospects for Research [#4084]

9:00 a.m. Miller D. * Using the Shuttle, MIR and ISS for Operating Micro-Gravity Engineering Research Laboratories [#4087]

9:30 a.m. Sinha R. K. * Sivakumar R. Design of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer for Surface Temperature Analysis and Chlorophyll Content Incorporating Nano/Pico Satellites [#4008]

9:45 a.m. Overfelt R. A. * Vulcan TP/PDA – A Modular Materials Processing System for Proprietary R&D [#4017]

10:00 a.m. Coffee Break

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xxi

Friday, February 19, 2010 ASTRONOMY, SOLAR PHYSICS, AND PLANETARY SCIENCE SESSION II 10:30 a.m. Flagstaff Room

This session will provide an overview of the various astronomical sciences applications for Next-Gen suborbital research.

Chair: Dan Durda

10:30 a.m. Vilas F. * Sollitt L. Solar System Astronomy with Suborbital Crewed Spacecraft: Advantages and Challenges [#4050]

11:00 a.m. Izenberg N. R. * Seismic Shaking Experiments in Milligravity Environments [#4037]

11:30 a.m. Colwell J. E. * Blum J. Durda D. D. Building Planets on Suborbital Flights [#4006]

11:45 a.m. Freeborn T. * Nakagawa M. Wang J. Weinstein M. Dynamic Characterization of Lunar Simulants Using Resonant Column Procedures [#4055]

12:00 p.m. Güttler C. * Blum J. Colwell J. E. Weidling R. Heißelmann D. Collisional Evolution of Many-Particle Systems in Astrophysics [#4010]

12:15 p.m. Lester D. * Airborne Astronomy: Launching Astronomers into the Stratosphere [#4097]

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break xxii LPI Contribution No. 1534

Friday, February 19, 2010 EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH SESSION I (OUTREACH) 10:30 a.m. Canyon Room

This session will provide a forum for exploring ideas on educating and exciting students and the general public about suborbital science.

Chairs: David Grinspoon Erika Wagner

10:30 a.m. Lakdawalla E. * Social Networking Planetary Science: How to Bring the Public Along on Suborbital Flights [#4075]

11:00 a.m. Cowing K. L. * Education and Public Outreach from Extreme Locations [#4009]

11:30 a.m. Griffin G. * Inspiring Minds: Creating Awareness for Next-Generation Suborbital Spaceflight [#4062]

11:45 a.m. Wallace E. F. * My Astronaut.Org: Vote for and Fund Suborbital Space Heroes [#4083]

12:00 p.m. Jordan N. Wagner E. B. * Prizes as a Tool for Engaging Researchers and Students [#4049]

12:15 p.m. Gorjian V. * Rebull L. M. Spuck T. Squires G. NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program Team Getting Teachers Involved in Research: A Potential Component of Future Sub-Orbital Missions [#4032]

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xxiii

Friday, February 19, 2010 ATMOSPHERIC, IONOSPHERIC AND AURORAL SCIENCE SESSION I 10:30 a.m. Century Room

The next generation of suborbital vehicles will provide an unprecedented platform for observations of the mesosphere, lower thermosphere and ionosphere.

Chairs: Christoph Englert Michael Summers

10:30 a.m. Siskind D. E. * Problems in the MLT Region of the Atmosphere Which Need a New Approach [#4030]

11:00 a.m. Fritts D. * NSRC Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Science Opportunities [#4031]

11:30 a.m. Paxton L. J. * Exploring the Last Frontier [#4090]

12:00 p.m. Summers M. E. * Some Issues in Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere Chemistry that can be Addressed with Measurements from Next-Generation Suborbital Vehicles [#4036]

12:15 p.m. Lockowandt C. * Grahn S. Atmospheric Science Payloads for Suborbital Flights [#4026]

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break xxiv LPI Contribution No. 1534

Friday, February 19, 2010 LIFE SCIENCES SESSION I 2:00 p.m. Flagstaff Room

Suborbital flight will provide a unique opportunity for investigating the reaction of living systems to altered gravity; research applications include operational, applied, and basic investigations.

Chairs: Mark Shelhamer Erika Wagner

2:00 p.m. Sutton J. P. * National Space Biomedical Research Institute and Space Life Science Research [#4088]

2:30 p.m. Young L. R. * Life Science Opportunities in Suborbital Flight [#4013]

3:00 p.m. Black F. O. * Shelhamer M. Potential Life Science Projects for Sub-Orbital Flights: Bridging the Gap Between Applied and Basic Research [#4044]

3:30 p.m. Clark J. B. * Pilmanis A. A. Murray D. H. Turney M. Bayne C. G. Bagian J. P. Medical Support for a Manned Stratospheric Balloon and Freefall Parachute Flight Test Program [#4086]

4:00 p.m. Cuttino C. M. * Medical Considerations for Suborbital Spaceflight Operations [#4073]

4:15 p.m. Komatireddy R. * Casey S. C. Wiskerchen M. Damle A. Schmidt M. A. Reiter B. The Development of a Novel Infrastructure for Biomedical Monitoring of Space Participants [#4045]

4:30 p.m. Charles J. B. * Richard E. E. Acquisition of a Biomedical Database of Acute Responses to Space Flight During Commercial Personal Sub-Orbital Flights [#4048]

4:45 p.m. Karmali F. * Shelhamer M. An Agenda for Sensorimotor Research in Sub-Orbital Flight [#4012]

5:00 p.m. Dinner Break

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xxv

Friday, February 19, 2010 EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH SESSION II (EDUCATION) 2:00 p.m. Canyon Room

This session will provide a forum for exploring ideas on educating and exciting students and the general public about suborbital science.

Chairs: Erika Wagner David Grinspoon

2:00 p.m. CoBabe-Ammann E. A. * Oh, the Places You’ll Go!: Using Suborbital Flight Programs to Support Formal and Informal Education (and Vice Versa) [#4007]

2:30 p.m. DeVore E. K. * Backman D. E. Education Partnerships in the Stratosphere: Airborne Astronomy Education and Outreach [#4077]

3:00 p.m. Reed H. L. * Integrating Education, Research, and Design-Build-Fly: Perspectives from AggieSat [#4094]

3:30 p.m. Miller D. W. * ZERO-Robotics: A Student Competition Aboard the International Space Station [#4095]

4:00 p.m. Branly R. M. * Howard E. S. An Experiment Carrier Capsule Demonstrator Project with Hyperspectral Imaging for VTVL Vehicles [#4047]

4:15 p.m. Collicott S. H. * Armadillo Aerospace and Purdue University Student Experiment Program [#4053]

4:30 p.m. Mazzino M. L. P. * Miles D. Wood T. Rae J. Murphy K. Mann I. R. Beginning of a Student Experimental Space Science High Altitude Balloon Program at University of Alberta [#4060]

4:45 p.m. Mann I. R. * Knudsen D. J. McWilliams K. A. Dahle K. Moen J. Thrane E. V. Hansen A. The Canadian/Norwegian Student Sounding Rocket Program (CaNoRock) [#4061]

5:00 p.m. Dinner Break xxvi LPI Contribution No. 1534

Friday, February 19, 2010 TECHNOLOGY PAYLOADS AND SYMPOSIUM ON DEPLOYABLE VEHICLES SESSION II 2:00 p.m. Century Room

Chair: Richard Miles

2:00 p.m. Schmisseur J. * Scientific Opportunities Enabled via Affordable Suborbital Access [#4089]

2:30 p.m. Abe T. * Magnetic Braking and Heat Shield Research with a Capsule-type Reentry Body [#4067]

3:00 p.m. Murbach M. S. * The SOAREX Sub-Orbital Flight Series [#4071]

3:15 p.m. Reiter B. G. * Schmidt M. A. Reducing the Complexities of Integrating Suborbital Capabilities [#4066]

3:30 p.m. Steinke R. C. * Improving Mission Flexibility with the Hippogriff Propulsion Module [#4027]

3:45 p.m. Tutt B. A. * Barber J. Next-Generation Modular Recovery Systems [#4019]

4:00 p.m. Panel Discussion with Audience Question and Answer

5:00 p.m. Dinner Break

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xxvii

Friday, February 19, 2010 NASA COMMERCIAL REUSABLE SUBORBITAL RESEARCH (CRuSR) PROGRAM 7:00 p.m. Canyon/Flagstaff

The focus of this panel discussion will be on soliciting input from and creating partnerships between the research community, launch community, and NASA based on Low-Cost and Reliable Access to Space (LCRATS).

Moderator: Charles Miller

7:00 p.m. Skidmore M. G. * Maclise D. C. Cagle Y. D. Mains R. C. Chu-Thielbar L. Implementing the NASA CRuSR Program [#4046]

Question and Answer xxviii LPI Contribution No. 1534

Saturday, February 20, 2010 LIFE SCIENCES SESSION II 8:30 a.m. Flagstaff Room

Suborbital flight will provide a unique opportunity for investigating the reaction of living systems to altered gravity; research applications include operational, applied, and basic investigations.

Chairs: Erika Wagner Mark Shelhamer

8:30 a.m. Wall C. * Use of Suborbital Flight to Elucidate the Role of Tonic Otolith Stimulation Due to Gravity in Balance Testing and Orientation Tasks [#4079]

8:45 a.m. Zeffiro T. * Zhang Q. Strangman G. Brain Hemodynamic Changes Measured With Near-Infrared Spectroscopy During Altered Gravity [#4016]

9:00 a.m. Goodwin T. J. * Albrecht T. B. Schmidt M. A. Goodacre R. Sharina I. Murad F. Three Dimensional Human Tissues as Surrogates for Research into Human Cellular Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics During Suborbital Space Flight [#4052]

9:15 a.m. Todd P. * Kurk M. A. Vellinger J. C. Boling R. E. II Dynamic Microscopy in Suborbital Flight [#4076]

9:30 a.m. Hurlbert K. M. * Environmental Control and Life Support for Human Space Vehicles – Micro/Partial-Gravity Testing Needs [#4058]

9:45 a.m. Chappell S. P. * Norcross J. R. Gernhardt M. L. Results and Lessons Learned from Performance Testing of Humans in Spacesuits in Simulated Reduced Gravity [#4034]

10:00 a.m. Coffee Break

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xxix

Saturday, February 20, 2010 MICROGRAVITY PHYSICS SESSION II 8:30 a.m. Canyon Room

The talks in this session focus on microgravity as a "laboratory". That is, topics in which the absence of gravitational body force enables unique investigations of physical phenomena.

Chair: Steven Collicott

8:30 a.m. Weislogel M. M. * Applied Low-Gravity Fluids Research: Potential for Suborbital Flights [#4078]

9:00 a.m. Bunton P. Pojman J. A. * Effective Interfacial Tension Driven Convection: A Planned Suborbital Investigation [#4015]

9:15 a.m. Collicott S. H. * Sharp L. Capillary Fluids Design for an Experiment for Next-Gen Suborbital Flight [#4018]

9:30 a.m. Lockowandt C. * Grahn S. Microgravity Science Payloads for Suborbital Flights [#4093]

9:45 a.m. Todd P. * Vellinger J. C. Deuser M. S. Boling R. E. II Sliding Cavity Accommodations for Liquid-Liquid and Thin-Film Experiments in Low Gravity [#4074]

10:00 a.m. Coffee Break xxx LPI Contribution No. 1534

Saturday, February 20, 2010 ATMOSPHERIC, IONOSPHERIC AND AURORAL SCIENCE SESSION II 8:30 a.m. Century Room

The next generation of suborbital vehicles will provide an unprecedented platform for observations of the mesosphere, lower thermosphere and ionosphere.

Chairs: Michael Summers Christoph Englert

8:30 a.m. Heelis R. A. * Experiments in the Lower Ionosphere Enabled by the Next Generation Sub-Orbital Vehicles [#4091]

9:00 a.m. Immel T. J. * Performing Atmospheric and Ionospheric Science Experiments at the Edge of Space [#4063]

9:30 a.m. Englert C. R. * Harlander J. M. Siskind D. E. Babcock D. D. Investigating Upper Atmospheric Dynamics from Next Generation Suborbital Platforms: Novel Observation Opportunities and Accelerated Development of Innovative Instrumentation [#4033]

9:45 a.m. Knappmiller S. * Gumbel J. Horanyi M. Robertson S. Sternovsky Z. Using DSMC Modeling of Rocket Aerodynamics as a Measurement Aid in the Mesosphere [#4020]

10:00 a.m. Coffee Break

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference xxxi

Saturday, February 20, 2010 PANEL DISCUSSION WITH AUDIENCE QUESTION AND ANSWER: DESIRED NEXT-GEN VEHICLE ATTRIBUTES FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION MISSION 10:30 a.m. Canyon/Flagstaff

Moderators: Alan Stern Yvonne Cagle

Panel Participants Lai G. Blue Origin, New Shepard Project Mealling M. H. Masten Space Systems, CFO and Vice President of Business Development Vozoff M. SpaceX DragonLab, Director of Civil Business Development Sowers G. United Launch Alliance, Vice President Attenborough S. Virgin Galactic, Commercial Director McKee K. XCOR Aerospace, Program Manager

xxxii LPI Contribution No. 1534

Saturday, February 20, 2010 CLOSING SESSION 11:30 a.m. Canyon/Flagstaff

Chair: Dan Durda Wayne Hale

Invited Speakers Stern S. A. Southwest Research Institute, Associate Vice President Chaikin A. Author, Speaker, Space Journalist Sirangelo M. N. Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Chairman of the Board

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 1

MAGNETIC BRAKING AND HEAT SHIELD RESEARCH WITH A CAPSULE-TYPE REENTRY BODY. T. Abe, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Yoshinodai 3-1-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229, Japan, [email protected].jaxa.jp).

For the reentry body, the aerodynamic heating is the biggest veloped an engineering model of such a magnetic field gen- challenge and must be managed somehow. Currently the erator. The testing for it is now under way. thermal protection system composed of heat resistant tile and so on is employed for this purpose. The electrodynamic heatshield technique which employs a strong static magnetic field Attitude around a reentry body of high speed flight is a promising control technique to reduce the heating itself during an atmospheric flight. This can be realized as a result of the interaction between the magnetic field and the weakly ionized flow gener- 2nd Stage ated around the vehicle. Through this interaction, the body force due to the Lorentz force acts on the flow directly and enables us to control it. In return, the reaction of the body 3rd Stage force affects the vehicle trajectory or its attitude. Because of those expected performances of the technique, the electrodynamic heatshield technique may be able to replace the current heatshield system. In addition, the technique may provide us a way to maneuver the vehicle trajectory and the Capsule Sep. at 100 km vehicle attitude without moving parts such as aerodynamic control surfaces. V=7 km/sec at 80 km So far, much research effort has been devoted to realize this technique. The research includes the basic investigations by not only experimental but also numerical methods. For the First Stage experimental investigation, several facilities such as arc-jet wind tunnel, shock-tunnel and expansion tube have been utilized to make the flow condition close to the flight condi- Fig. 1 Suborbital flight experiment. tion as much as possible, and the results obtained have successfully verified the technology[1]. For the numerical investigation, detailed investigations have been done and verified that the electrodynamic heat shield technology is reasonably effective in the flight condition from LEO for instance[2]. Furthermore, it was shown that this technique can be applicable to the aerobraking vehicle.

Nevertheless the technology is remained to be verified by a flight experiment which is necessary since the existing ground facility can not provide the proper flight condition. In this study, the feasibility of the flight experiment is criti- Bulk super- cally discussed. Figure 1 shows an example of procedure to conductor realized such flight experiment. For this experiment, a sub- (Gd-Ba-Cu-O) orbital flight is made used of. Such a suborbital flight can be realized by using a sounding rocket SS-520. Since the flight Cryostat speed, at least, of 7 km/sec during an atmospheric flight is B~5T necessary to demonstrate the technology, the third stage motor, to accelerate the payload downward, is added to the B~1T original rocket composed of 2-stages. In the experiment, the Fig. 2 Capsule type vehicle with the strong magnetic payload is a micro-capsule-type vehicle which is equipped field generator onboard. with a strong magnetic field generator inside it. Such a vehicle is schematically shown in Fig. 2. The diameter of the References: [1] Y. Takizawa, et. al., (2006)Phys. Fluids, capsule is 40 cm and its weight is around 17 kg. The mag- 18, 117105-10. [2] H. Otsu, et. al., (2006) AIAA 2006-3566. netic field generator inside the capsule provides a magnetic [3] M. Tomita and M. Murakami (2003), NATURE Vol. 421, field intensity of 1T at the stagnation point of the vehicle. p. 517. This magnetic field generator can be realized by using the high temperature bulk superconductor[3] installed inside a cryostat especially-designed. For the moment, we have de- 2 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Combustion and Thermal-Fluids Research Opportunities Created by the Expected Commercial Sub-Orbital Capabilities. J. I. D. Alexander1, 1Director, National Center for Space Exploration and Research and Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.

Introduction: The mission of the NCSER is to Opportunities: Discussed in the talk is how the perform critical path research in fluids and combustion varied experimental efforts in NCSER and CWRU and to support NASA’s space program and related national the proposed low-gravity capabilities of this new in- initiatives, increase awareness of microgravity re- dustry lead us to envision enhanced and expanded search and enhance its scientific, technological, educa- low-gravity research. Consistent with the charge of tional, and economic impacts and to support the devel- NCSER, these experiments address NASA’s needs in opment of enabling technologies for space exploration. energy, air quality, water, astronaut health and food. As NASA works towards completing the International As we strive to meet these challenges, traditional and Space Station it is also preparing for its greatest ven- new low-gravity experiments can also deliver on in- ture yet: the human exploration of the moon, Mars and vigorating engineering research and development in the nearer asteroids. Establishing a long-term human this country. presence beyond low-earth orbit places stringent de- One example of heritage NCSER/NASA-GRC ex- mands on spacecraft systems that supply power and periments that would benefit from the anticipated propulsion and provide human life support. The chal- flight profile is the Condensing Heat Exchanger Con- lenges facing NASA are dominated by energy, air cept Developed for Space Systems, or CHESS. A quality, water, astronaut health and food. As it strives more efficient design for water removal from cabin air to meet these challenges, NASA’s human space explo- in space flight would remove the water directly from ration program will invigorate engineering research the air without the need of an additional water separa- and development in this country. Furthermore, there is tor downstream. For CHESS, researchers at the NASA tremendous potential to develop new approaches to Glenn Research Center in collaboration with NASA engineering education as younger scientists and engi- Johnson Space Center designed a condensing heat ex- neers become engaged in the quest to extend the changer that uses capillary forces to collect and re- boundaries of human presence in space through remove water and that can operate in varying gravita- search programs at universities and at NASA Centers.. tional conditions including microgravity, lunar gravity, and Martian gravity. The CHESS concept for a con- Expectation: The 3 to 4.5 minutes of low-gravity densing heat exchanger involves the use of a highly test time advertised by the emerging commercial sub- conductive porous substrate as the cold surface over orbital industry is a capability that opens up new pos- which moisture condensation occurs. The condensed sibilities for research. The science community should water vapor is removed through another embedded note form the start that research for topics and applica- porous tube insert via a suction device. Thermal prop- tions in both space-flight and for the benefit of life erties, porosity, and wetting characteristics of the po- right here on Earth are candidates for micro-gravity rous materials are designed to promote efficient con- experiments. While the NCSER is chartered to focus densation and avoid air penetration into the suction on NASA’s critical needs for space exploration, we tubes. Other engineering concerns, such as priming need to look broadly at the opportunities that may and the startup and shutdown transients, also influence come available for the NCSER to deliver on this the selection of the porous media used in the design. charge. When the commercial sub-orbital research To test this concept and develop empirical heat- launches become regular, this should be a distinct and and mass-transfer correlations, NASA is building a valuable change in the “laboratory” settings available ground-based test facility at Glenn. The emerging for low-gravity research efforts. commercial sub-orbital flight programs will provide a Cheaper, more frequent, and simpler to use are per- great laboratory in which to further develop the tech- formance characteristics that aid experiments when nology, including perhaps important studies of tran- present in research equipment. Such characteristics sient response of the system. are desirable to all when shopping for high-speed cam- Conclusion: If the promised flight profiles are de- eras, data acquisition, laser-diagnostics for combustion livered, the new commercial sub-orbital rocket indus- measurements, and the like. Access to low-gravity test try will create research capabilities that are novel and time is yet another research tool that we all would like desirable. The expected increase in affordability more of for lower cost. would enable more experiments that previously thought possible. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 3

Virgin Galactic and Sub-Orbital Science Stephen Attenborough Virgin Galactic was founded by Sir Richard Branson to open spaceflight to a much larger group than ever before. Its aim is to transform space transportation and human spaceflight by creating a profitable company that establishes new standards for spaceflight safety, frequency, flexibility and cost. The designs of the Virgin Galactic spaceflight system and its operations have been built to be flexible in payload and mission profile. As such, they are extremely well suited to the execution of human-tended and autonomous science experiments as well as for space tourism – a market that Virgin Galactic (VG) has successfully established with over 300 paid up customers and more than $40M in deposits. VG is the only company building spaceflight vehicles based on a prototype that has already flown to space successfully (SpaceShipOne). Our new system also consists of a carrier aircraft (WhiteKnightTwo - WK2) and an air-launched spacecraft (SpaceShipTwo - SS2). Construction and testing of the prototype vehicles for Virgin Galactic‟s commercial operations is substantially progressed. WK2 is nearing the end of its test flight phase and SS2 will be rolled out for the first time in Dec 2009 prior to commencing its own test flight programme. SpaceShipTwo has generous payload capacity (2000+ lb) and large cabin enabling freedom of movement without restraints, with seating for six passengers and two pilots. Virgin Galactic‟s plans are centred and founded on significantly higher levels of safety than any previous spaceflight system. The safety case is built on core characteristics of the system: Air launch, glide to land, composite construction, and patented feathered re-entry system, as well as extensive operations experience of the Virgin Group. Virgin Galactic has been funded to date by the Virgin Group, a large branded venture capital organisation, which provides a solid funding stream for the project. In July of 2009, Virgin Galactic announced that it had concluded a deal (subject to regulatory approval) with Aabar Investments, an Abu Dhabi based investment fund which will see Aabar take a 32% stake in the company for $280m. This secures the necessary funding to complete the development. Virgin Galactic is built on and leverages the Virgin Group‟s extensive operating experience: global airlines such as Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Blue, train services such as Virgin Rail, and customer and tourist services around the world. Virgin Galactic is the farthest along as a developed business of any suborbital spaceflight provider, over 300 reserved tourism customers, representing more than $40 million of deposits, and an additional 85,000 expressions of interest. A comprehensive human training centrifuge program has successfully proven the accessibility of spaceflight to a wide diversity of individuals. The VG suborbital service is well-suited to scientific research and engineering test processes. Such research could include atmospheric science, meteorological science, life or other science associated with macro and microgravity, astronomy, heliophysics, and earth and planetary science. Other applications could include a cost effective means for testing and verification of equipment for orbital and exploration programs, as well as practical training on such equipment in microgravity. Virgin Galactic‟s suborbital spaceflights will provide a cost-competitive alternative to sounding rockets with the addition of a human interface environment and a longer window in microgravity for useful training

VG will be able to offer researchers several services:

Researchers will be able to tend their experiments in space by mounting them inside the SS2 flight cabin. SS2’s large volume, substantial payload, and multiple windows make the cabin well-suited to a variety of research goals. Researchers will be able to mount experiments in the unpressurized aft bay of the vehicle for exterior research. Such experiments can take atmospheric samples either inside the bay or eventually via a window enabling access to the airstream. WK2 will offer an excellent proving and training environment for SS2’s cabin, as well as an excellent high-altitude research platform in itself. WK2’s cabin is virtually identical to that of SS2. Researchers will be able to order the management of experiments by VG staff. of personnel on specialized equipment or mission scenarios.

The SS2 / WK2 system offers the following positive characteristics as a platform for science research: 4 LPI Contribution No. 1534

The system‟s characteristics and competitive price enables rapid vehicle turnaround and high flight rate, which can support series missions in quick succession, even back to back. The operational flight frequency anticipated offers very short lead time to actual flight and also offers flexibility in scheduling. In other words, the launch window can be tailored to the individual researcher and/or the experiment. The system‟s characteristics also enable „science of opportunity‟, such as the study of meteor showers, supernovae, specific climate conditions. The system will be competitive in price to sounding rockets. Services provided via the SS2 / WK2 system offer more microgravity time than parabolic flight and drop towers, without the associated infrastructure costs. WK2 and SS2 provide a useful environment for training on such equipment, giving adequate time to trial functionality and specialist tasks (particularly compared to parabolic flight). WK2 is capable of parabolic flight and macro g for researcher training and experiment test. As the WK2 and SS2 cabins are very similar, equipment training or mission planning can be carried out in the WK2 prior to an SS2 flight. The high-altitude, large capacity and anticipated frequent flight of the WK2 system provides an attractive research platform on its own. All data and equipment is recoverable from VG flights. SS2 has the ability to maneuver in space through its RCS system Down range flight trajectories may become an option in the future and would support extended time at specific altitudes of interest.

Virgin Galactic plans to use the air-launch system architecture demonstrated successfully by Scaled Composites during the SpaceShipOne / White Knight One program. In this architecture, a purpose- built carrier aircraft powered by commercial jet engines carries the spaceflight vehicle to launch altitude (approximately 45,000ft). The spaceflight vehicle is air-launched from the carrier vehicle and fires its rocket motor, executing a turn for a steep climb. The spaceflight vehicle conducts a ballistic arc into space, and deploys its unique and patented „feathered‟ configuration for re-entry. Following re-entry and descent into atmosphere, the spaceflight vehicle de-feathers and glides to a horizontal landing at its home base.

With proper spaceport and commercial licensing, the SS2 / WK2 spaceflight system will be capable of operating from any typical airfield with a runway of more than 9,000ft. Specialist equipment is limited to the SS2 oxidizer fuelling system and ground loading fixture. \Commercial operations will be centered at New Mexico‟s Spaceport America, being constructed adjacent to the White Sands Missile Range.

Spaceport America has many advantages for science-focused flights. These include: (1) Clear surrounding airspace due to remote location & proximity to White Sands Missile Range; (2) Excellent weather conditions conducive to high flight frequency and rapid turnarounds. (3) Distance from major urban areas positive for certain climate and astronomy work, due to low urban particulate contamination and light pollution. (4) Relatively high altitude of site (approx. 4,000 ft) (5) WSMR has extensive technical facilities to augment scientific research via SS2 and WK2. And (6) As “Anchor Tenant”, Virgin Galactic is involved closely with the development of the Spaceport and so can ensure that any specific operational requirements are taken into account.

Virgin Galactic has identified the following specific science areas for potential investigation: Climate science/meteorology/aeronomy/ ionospheric science; Microgravity science Astronomy/Solar Physics; Planetary Science; Earth observation. More application may exist as well; we look forward to hearing your ideas.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 5

Potential Life Science Projects for Sub-Orbital Flights: bridging the gap between applied and basic research

F. Owen Black, MD Mark Shelhamer, PhD

Very little is known about acute, quantitative physiological effects of sudden changes in gravitational environs, especially in humans. From both animal and human studies, it is known that profound changes in many physiologic systems occur during and after g- transitions. Some of these effects affect crew safety and performance, i.e. present risks. For example, acute changes in gravitational forces on the human otolith system upon exposure to 1/6 g on the Moon and 1/3 g on Mars alter human body segment control, including head, ocular globes, limbs and center-of-mass control. Obviously, such physiological changes will affect many required and critical tasks such as landing and vehicle egress. Investigation of the acute effects of otolith responses to microgravity insertion and return to earth using newly developed techniques will likely provide key data for better understanding of acute adaptive effect on body segment control and provide a scientific basis for the development of effective countermeasures. Time permitting, other examples of possible investigations using sub-orbital flights will be presented. Specifically, the role of tonic otolith stimulation in vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs), and in spatial perception, are directly relevant to providing crucial information that assist in helping patients on earth with vestibular disorders and can be readily applied to the study of sensorimotor adaptation in microgravity. 6 LPI Contribution No. 1534

An Experiment Carrier Capsule Demonstrator Project with Hyperspectral Imaging for VTVL Vehicles. R. M. Branly1,2 and E. S. Howard1, 1Broward College, Dept. of Physical Sciences, 3501 SW Davie Road, Davie FL 33314, 2Air and Space Education Consortium, Box 1614 Cape Cannaveral MPO, 8700 Astronaut Blvd., FL 32920.

Background: The recent NASA/Northrup Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge has clearly demonstrated the feasibility of suborbital flights with Veritcal Take-off Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicles. Three major teams developed rocket systems capable of accurate vertical landings. Some of the companies have identified experiment payload carrying flights as the next goal in vehicle development. Summary: A team of researchers and college students has designed and built a payload carrier capsule capable of carrying 50 to 100 kilograms of experiments. The Experiment Capsule Demonstrator consists of a one meter diameter conical external structure with an optional internal structure manufactured from composite materials. The structure is inspired by the spacecraft of the Apollo era. The capsule is designed to ride atop Masten Space System’s “Xombie” and “Xoie” (X0.1E) VTVL rocket vehicles. The experimental payloads fit within modular containers that are provided by the launch operator. The payload carrier capsule contains a battery power source independent from the rocket propulsion vehicle. The capsule demonstrator also includes a basic data recording module. The Air and Space education Consortium in partnership with Masten Space Systems and members of Bro- ward College have designed a Hyperspectral imaging system as a primary payload aboard the Masten Space Systems payload demonstrator project. Hyperspectral imaging is a powerful technique that can be used both in atmospheric and geology remote sensing applications. ASEC and Broward College are using this opportunity to introduce students to the science of spectroscopy through a Project Based Learning initiative. VTBL vehicles provide an opportunity to fly student and faculty experiments often enough to impact existing educational STEM initiatives. The plan incorpo- rates educational examples developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Early flights are expected in the second quarter of 2010.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 7

COMMERCIAL SPACE UTILIZATION. M. A. Brekke, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston TX (michele.a.brekke@nasa.gov).

The future of space exploration requires that the commercial space industry be successful in providing low cost space access and utilization services. Commercial space utilization will need policies, plans, ops concepts, safety, legal and many other elements to be formulated, established and put into action as to not be an impediment to the success of the industry. This presentation addresses many of these elements and the status of NASA’s activities associated with them. 8 LPI Contribution No. 1534

EFFECTIVE INTERFACIAL TENSION DRIVEN CONVECTION: A PLANNED SUBORBITAL INVESTIGATION P. Bunton1 and J. A. Pojman2, 1Department of Physics, William Jewell College, 500 College Hill, Liberty, MO 64068, [email protected], 2Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, [email protected]

Introduction: Korteweg proposed in 1901 that a The first definitive measurements of an effective nonuniform density (concentration or temperature) interfacial tension was performed by Pojman et al. [18] distribution leads to stresses in a fluid.[1] His paper and Zoltowski et al. [19] was the first to propose a model how miscible fluids Convection Caused by Interfacial Tension. Gradi- could behave like immiscible fluids. When two misci- ents in interfacial tension between two fluids can cause ble fluids are brought in contact, a large concentration convection. Such gradients can be caused by gradients (and density) gradient exists, which relaxes through in the concentration of a chemical species or tempera- diffusion. He supposed that stresses caused by the ture. Pojman et al. have studied numerically how con- density gradient acted like a surface tension that would vection could be caused by concentration and tempera- also relax with time. ture gradients at the transition zone between miscible Zeldovich published an excellent work in which he fluids.[20-23] showed that an interfacial tension should exist between Isobutyric Acid and Water: A major problem in miscible fluids brought into contact.[2] Davis proposed studying interfacial phenomena in miscible systems is that when two miscible fluids are placed in contact lack of reproducibility. Because the systems are not at they will immediately begin to mix diffusively across equilibrium, the results for any measurement of an the concentration front, and the composition inho- interfacial tension would necessarily depend on the mogeneities can give rise to pressure anisotropies and path taken to achieve the conditions and the amount of to a tension between the contacted fluids.[3] elapsed since the fluids were brought in contact. Em- Joseph deserved credit for providing an excellent ploying fluids with a critical solution temperature can review of the history of this question. Joseph and help avoid this. For example, isobutyric acid (IBA) Renardy have impressive pictures of behavior in mis- and water exhibit an Upper Critical Solution Tempera- cible fluids that appears to follow behavior attributed ture (UCST) a 26.3 ˚C, which means that above the to interfacial tension.[4] They also present experiments UCST the materials are miscible in all proportions but with drops of water rising in glycerin. He and his colleagues also considered many problems with Korteweg below it they form two phases.Isobutyric acid and wa- stress. [5-8] ter 27 Chen and Meiburg performed numerical simula- 26 25 One Phase Region tions of miscible displacement that include Korteweg 24 23 stress. [9-12] 22 21 There have been several reports of phenomena in 20 Two Phase Region which the authors invoke an interfacial tension with 19 18 miscible systems. Garik et al. injected water into a 17 16 CuSO4 solution or glycerin into water. They proposed 15 14 Temperature (˚C) that the pattern formation they observed was not vis- 13 12 cous fingering but an interfacial-tension induced insta- 11 10 bility.[13] Ma et al. performed a theoretical work in- 9 8 cluding molecular dynamics simulations of initially 0.17 0.21 0.25 0.29 0.33 0.37 0.41 0.45 0.49 0.53 0.57 0.61 0.65 0.69 0.73 Fraction of Isobutyic Acid miscible fluids showing that the effective interfacial tension relaxes according to a 1/t1/2 rule.[14] Mungall Figure 1. The phase diagram of IBA and water reported that miscible molten silicates form a menis- cus, indicating an interfacial tension.[15] He proposed Experimental Design: We have demonstrated in a theoretical model in terms of the gradient stresses. ground-based experiments that miscible fluids can ex- Castellanos and González proposed that the wave hibit an effective interfacial tension if the gradient be- length selection in the electrohydrodynamic instability tween the fluids is large. Unknown is whether a gradi- between miscible fluids of different conductivities can ent of such an effective interfacial tension can be cre- be explained by a transient interfacial tension.[16] Pe- ated by a temperature gradient that will result in ob- titjeans and Maxworthy estimated the EIT from the servable fluid flow. Our attempts in ground-based wavelength selection of the displacement of water into experiments to observe such Effective-Interfacial- glycerin in a capillary tube and determined a value of Tension-Driven Convection have been foiled by buoy- 0.43 mN/m.[17] Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 9

ancy-driven convection. Therefore, we need to per- [4] D. D. Joseph, Y. Y. Renardy, Fundamentals of Two-Fluid form the experiment in weightlessness. Dynamics. Part II. Lubricated Transport, Drops and If isobutyric acid (IBA) and water are mixed below Miscible Fluids, Springer, New York, 1992. 27 ˚C (the Upper Critical Solution Temperature, [5] D. D. Joseph, Eur. J. Mech., B/Fluids 9 (1990) 565-596. [6] G. P. Galdi, D. D. Joseph, L. Preziosi, S. Rionero, Eur. J. UCST), they form two phases. The IBA rich phase Mech., B/Fluids 10 (1991) 253-267. floats on top of the water-rich phase. If the tempera- [7] D. D. Joseph, A. Huang, H. Hu, Physica D 97 (1996) ture is raised above 27 ˚C, the phases are now miscible 104-125. but diffusion is very slow. This process allows us to [8] T. Y. Liao, D. D. Joseph, J. Fluid Mech. 342 (1997) 37- create a configuration in which two miscible fluids are 51. separated by a sharp concentration gradient that acts as [9] C.-Y. Chen, E. Meiburg, J. Fluid Mech. 326 (1996) 57- an effective interfacial tension. 90. Our experiment is simple: We will use an interface [10] C.-Y. Chen, L. Wang, E. Meiburg, Phys. Fluids 13 between isobutyric acid (IBA) and water as a model (2001) 2447-2456. [11] E. Meiburg, C.-Y. Chen, L.-L. Wang, Trans. Aero. system. A pre-equilibrated system in a glass cuvette Astro. Soc. R. O. C. 33 (2001) 7-15. will be maintained at 25 ˚C with Peltier heater-cooler. [12] C.-Y. Chen, E. Meiburg, Phys. Fluids 14 (2003) 2052- When weightlessness is achieved, the cuvette will be 2058. heated to 28 ˚C. Once that temperature is achieved, a [13] P. Garik, J. Hetrick, B. Orr , D. Barkey, E. Ben-Jacob, heater along the side of the cuvette will be activated to Phys. Rev. Ltts 66 (1991) 1606-1609. create a temperature gradient. The fluid flow will be [14] W. J. Ma, P. Keblinski, A. Maritan, J. Koplik, J. R. imaged by a laser sheet and nickel-coated glass micro- Banavar, Phys. Rev. Ltts. 71 (1993) 3465-3468. spheres. A control cuvette containing only water will [15] J. E. Mungall, Phys. Rev. Ltts. 73 (1994) 288-291. be heated by a heater to allow us to determine the [16] A. Castellanos, A. González, Phys. Fluids A 4 (1992) 1307-1309. amount of buoyancy-driven convection caused by the [17] P. Petitjeans, T. Maxworthy, J. Fluid Mech. 326 (1996) residual acceleration. 37-56. [18] J. A. Pojman, C. Whitmore, M. L. Turco Liveri, R. Lombardo, J. Marszalek, R. Parker, B. Zoltowski, Langmuir 22 (2006) 2569-2577. [19] B. Zoltowski, Y. Chekanov, J. Masere, J. A. Pojman, V. Volpert, Langmuir 23 (2007) 5522-5531. [20] N. Bessonov, J. A. Pojman, V. Volpert, J. Engineering Math. 49 (2004) 321-338. [21] N. Bessonov, V. A. Volpert, J. A. Pojman, B. D. Zoltowski, Microgravity Sci. Tech. XVII (2005) 8-12. [22] J. A. Pojman, N. Bessonov, V. Volpert, Microgravity Sci. Tech. XIX (2007) 33-41. [23] J. A. Pojman, Y. Chekanov, V. Wyatt, N. Bessonov, V. Volpert, Microgravity Sci. Tech. 21 (2009) 225-237.

Figure 2. Schematic of planned experiment

References:

[1] D. J. Korteweg, Archives Néerlandaises des Sciences Exactes et Naturelles 6 (1901) 1-24. [2] Y. B. Zeldovich, Zhur. Fiz. Khim. (in Russian) 23 (1949) 931-935. [3] H. T. Davis, A Theory of Tension at a Miscible Displacement Front, in: M. Wheeler (Ed.) Numerical Simulation in Oil Recovery, Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications,, vol 11, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1988, pp. 105-110. 10 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Suborbital Micro-Gravity Research: Tapping the Rich Legacy of Accomplishment for the Next-Gen Launch Vehicle Research Era

By John M. Cassanto, CEO Instrumentation Technology Associates, Inc.

Ronald M. Jones Boeing Phantom Works

David Yoel, CEO American Aerospace Advisors

Abstract

The next generation of launch vehicles will breathe new life into the near- moribund suborbital micro-gravity research community. Traditionally plagued by high costs and a lack of reliable launch opportunities, the µ-gravity community today stands at the threshold of resurgence when the new generation of commercial reusable higher launch rate vehicles begin routine operations. As a new generation of space researchers considers how tourism-focused suborbital missions and vehicles can be used for research and education, they need only look at the rich legacy of µ-gravity research from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. NASA, academia, and the private sector have developed proven flight hardware, performed a myriad of experiments and conducted a wealth of meaningful scientific, commercial, and student experiments on aircraft, sounding rockets, suborbital and orbital platforms. This paper presents an overview of the flight hardware development experience, capabilities and micro-gravity resources available from one surviving American commercial space company founded in the mid 1980’s, Instrumentation Technology Associates (ITA). It describes an impressive array of low cost experiment/space processing flight hardware available for lease to researchers applicable for use on aircraft, sounding rocket, nextgen suborbital or orbital platforms. Typical flight results from commercial users, Government users, and students that conducted flight experiments using this hardware on sounding rocket flights will be presented. The paper will also describe the micro-gravity experiment database (the Commercial User Requirements Database), a comprehensive compendium of the types of flight experiments that can or were conducted coupled with their requisite time in µ- gravity requirements. This database was developed under contract to NASA following the Challenger disaster to categorize and classify activity within the µ- gravity community to help determine alternate µ-gravity access options during the Shuttle stand-down. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 11

RESULTS AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM PERFORMANCE TESTING OF HUMANS IN SPACESUITS IN SIMULATED REDUCED GRAVITY. Steven P. Chappell1, Jason R. Norcross1, and Michael. L. Gernhardt2; 1Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering Group, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Park- way, Mail Code Wyle/HAC/37C, Houston, TX, 77058, [email protected] and jason.norcross- [email protected]; 2NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX, 77058, mi- [email protected].

Introduction: NASA’s Constellation Program has subject. In the VM series, gravity level was constant at plans to return to the Moon within the next 10 years. 0.17 G and suit mass was 89, 120, and 181 kg, for Although reaching the Moon during the Apollo Pro- TGAWs of 282, 333, and 435 N. The 333 N condition gram was a remarkable human engineering achieve- was common to both the VW and VM series. Point-by- ment, fewer than 20 extravehicular activities (EVAs) point comparison of the VW and VM series was not were performed. Current projections indicate that the possible due to limited adjustability of suit mass and next lunar exploration program will require thousands parabolic profile options. In the VC series, gravity of EVAs, which will require spacesuits that are better level and suit mass were held constant at 0.17 G and optimized for human performance. Limited mobility 181 kg, and system CG was varied among 3 locations and dexterity, and the position of the center of gravity (B=4.8/1.0, C=7.6/14.4, and P=11.2/20.1 cm, aft/above (CG) are a few of many features of the Apollo suit the reference subject’s CG). The CG of the system was that required significant crew compensation to accom- defined as the combined CG of the subject, the space- plish the objectives. Development of a new EVA suit suit, and the equipment required to change the CG. system will ideally result in performance close to or Weight locations to alter CG were based on a reference better than that in shirtsleeves at 1 G, i.e., in “a suit subject (81.6 kg, 182.9 cm). Suited testing was per- that is a pleasure to work in, one that you would want formed with the suit pressurized at 29.6 kPa. Six sub- to go out and explore in on your day off.” [1] Unlike jects (80.0±10.6 kg, 182.3±6.2 cm) completed 4 tasks the Shuttle program, in which only a fraction of the (walking, kneel/stand, rock pickup, and shoveling). crew perform EVA, the Constellation program will The kneel/stand task was identical to ground-based require that all crewmembers be able to perform EVA. testing. For rock pickup and shoveling, fabric bags As a result, suits must be built to accommodate and filled with lead shot were used in lieu of weights and optimize performance for a larger range of crew anth- rocks. Walking during parabolic flight was overground ropometry, strength, and endurance. To address these across a short distance because the treadmill used dur- concerns, NASA has begun a series of tests to better ing ground-based testing could not be accommodated understand the factors affecting human performance in the available plane volume. In all conditions, upon and how to utilize various lunar gravity simulation completion of each task subjects provided ratings of environments available for testing. perceived exertion (RPE) [2] and scores using the Objectives: To collect performance data from gravity compensation and performance scale (GCPS) suited humans during parabolic flight, to compare to [3]. GCPS ratings are based on the level of operator and validate ground-based testing results using 2 other compensation required in partial gravity compared to lunar-gravity analogs: 1) overhead suspension and 2) performing the same task, unsuited, in 1 G. On this underwater buoyancy. scale, a rating of 2 is equal to 1-G performance and Methods: A custom weight support structure in- larger numbers indicate perceived increases in the terfaced with a prototype lunar surface spacesuit, al- amount of subject compensation required to achieve lowing manipulation of both suit mass and CG. Three desired performance. Motion-capture cameras were series of tests were completed to either directly com- used to capture kinematic data, and force plates were pare results with ground-based tests already completed, used to record ground reaction forces for all tasks ex- or to populate gaps in that data due to limitations of the cept kneel/stand. respective analog environments used for those tests Results: RPE and GCPS trends were similar for (e.g., insufficient lift capacity in the overhead suspen- VW and VM where trends could be directly compared. sion system; limited degrees of freedom). The 3 para- Extrapolations of the VM data seem to indicate that as bolic flight series were varied mass (VM), varied TGAW increased beyond 333 N, VM would lead to weight (VW), and varied center of gravity (VC). In the higher RPE and GCPS ratings than VW, but as TGAW VW series, suit mass (120 kg) was constant at 0.1, decreased below 333 N, trends for VM and VW were 0.17, and 0.3 G for a total gravity adjusted weight similar (Figure 1). (TGAW) of 196, 333, and 588 N, assuming an 80-kg 12 LPI Contribution No. 1534

For the VC series, mean RPE and GCPS were Kinematic and ground reaction force data were highest at CG location P for all tasks (Figure 2 & Fig- highly variable due to volumetric limitations and the ure 3). Variability was greatest at B and lowest at C, variability of the acceleration levels during a parabola. and large variations between subjects at the same CG Volumetric constraints affected the ability of the sub- existed for both RPE and GCPS. These trends were not jects to attain a stable gait during walking due to the consistent with results from unsuited CG studies per- need to stop, turn, and start in the confined area com- formed in the underwater and overhead suspension pared to an uninterrupted treadmill gait on the ground. lunar gravity simulations. Acceleration variations during parabolas limited the 10 20 ability to allocate differences in ground reaction forces 9 VM - GCPS VW - GCPS VM - RPE VW - RPE 18 8 to condition changes versus aircraft-induced distur- 16 7 6 14 bances.

5 12 RPE Conclusions: Suited human performance testing 4 10

GCPS 3 during parabolic flight can provide the most realistic 2 8 1 6 simulation of reduced gravity because the human, suit, 150.0 250.0 350.0 450.0 550.0 650.0 and all associated equipment are in the reduced-gravity Average Total Gravity Adjusted Weight (N) Figure 1. GCPS & RPE comparison of VW & VM series field. However, limitations of the test environment can affect the quality of the data collected. The short dura- B C P 10 tion of each parabola (15-30 s) precludes assessment of 9 8 metabolic rate. Airplane cabin dimensions limit data 7 collection capabilities and the tasks that can be per- 6 5 formed, and may cause subjects to adjust their gait 4 GCPS 3 style. Aircraft acceleration variability can affect the 2 ability to discern condition-related changes. Even with 1 Walk Kneel Stand Rock Pickup Shoveling these limitations, much can be done to improve the

Figure 2. GCPS comparison from VC series utility of data collected during parabolic flight and its applicability across other lunar-gravity analogs. Utili- 20 B C P zation of aircraft and aircrews that can provide maxi- 18 mum-duration parabolas with the required acceleration 16 14 accuracy will provide the best environment for re- 12 search. Maximizing the length of the cabin available RPE 10 for tasks such as ambulation or increasing cabin height 8 6 to allow use of a force plate-fitted treadmill will allow Walk Kneel/Stand Rock Pickup Shoveling suited subjects to attain a stable gait. To maximize the

Figure 3. RPE comparison from VC series ability to compare data from parabolic flight with that from other simulated reduced-gravity analogs, tests Discussion: Modeling a change in suit mass by al- performed in other analogs should be designed with tering weight alone may be an adequate simulation identical constraints regarding equipment, task dura- through a limited range when looking at gross metrics tion, methods, and subjects. Finally, the costs asso- of subjective performance of suited humans, but ciated with performing experiments using parabolic whether it would be sufficient for more precise metrics flight must be kept within reach of available research of human performance still needs further study. Mod- budgets that provide sufficient numbers of subjects and ifying CG during suited testing at lunar gravity seems task repetitions. These improvements would maximize to affect subjective performance ratings. However, the ability to achieve meaningful significant differenc- intersubject variation in subjective ratings at a given es and to make the most informed recommendations CG indicates that further study is needed to evaluate for future lunar spacesuit designs to optimize human interactions among lunar-gravity simulation, system performance. CG, system mass, and subject characteristics such as References: [1] Gernhardt, M. L. (2009) Personal anthropometry, strength, and fitness. Communication. [2] Borg G. A. (1996) Borg’s Per- The ability to compare results from parabolic flight ceived Exertion and Pain Scales. Champaign, IL: Hu- with those from ground-based tests was limited. Subtle man Kinetics. [3] Norcross J.R. et al. (2009), Feasibili- differences in experiment setup, lack of direct crossov- ty of Performing a Suited 10-km Ambulation on the er test points, and subject population differences may Moon - Final Report of the EVA Walkback Test have contributed to the comparability of the results. (EWT). NAST TP-2009-214796. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 13

ACQUISITION OF A BIOMEDICAL DATABASE OF ACUTE RESPONSES TO SPACE FLIGHT DURING COMMERCIAL PERSONAL SUB-ORBITAL FLIGHTS. J. B. Charles1 and E. E. Richard2, 1Space Life Sciences Directorate (SA2), NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston TX 77058, [email protected], 2Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering Group, 1290 Hercules Dr., Houston TX 77058, [email protected].

Introduction: There is currently too little repro- A preliminary set of hypotheses to be tested on ducible data for a scientifically valid understanding of such flights might include: the initial responses of a diverse human population to Physiological responses to brief weightless- weightlessness and other space flight factors. Astro- ness, preceded and followed by brief, high acceleration nauts on orbital space flights to date have been ex- loads, will be influenced by the presence and magni- tremely healthy and fit, unlike the general human pop- tude of the clinical and operational covariates (dis- ulation. Data collection opportunities during the earli- cussed below); est phases of space flights to date, when the most dy- Physiological responses will differ between namic responses may occur in response to abrupt tran- populations exposed to the different launch and entry sitions in acceleration loads, have been limited by op- loads and flight profiles intrinsic to the variety of flight erational restrictions on our ability to encumber the systems available from the providers; astronauts with even minimal monitoring instrumenta- Repeat flyers will respond to flight stresses tion. differently than novice flyers. The era of commercial personal suborbital space This last hypothesis illustrates an unprecedented flights promises the availability of a large (perhaps opportunity offered by the approaching suborbital hundreds per year), diverse population of potential flight era. To date, only a few astronauts have flown participants with a vested interest in their own res- as many as seven times. Nonetheless, there is evidence ponses to space flight factors, and a number of flight of less dramatic acute responses to repeated orbital providers interested in documenting and demonstrating flights in some areas (such as reported intensity of the attractiveness and safety of the experience they are space motion sickness) but not others (such as post- offering. flight cardiovascular symptoms). In the suborbital era, Voluntary participation by even a fraction of the it is entirely possible to expect that the spacecraft pi- flying population in a uniform set of unobtrusive bio- lots, and possible some passengers, such as research- medical data collections would provide a database ers, will fly dozens, perhaps a hundred times in a ca- enabling statistical analyses of a variety of acute res- reer, albeit on very short flights [2]. Documentation of ponses to a standardized space flight environment. the association between intensity of physiological re- This will benefit both the space life sciences discipline sponse to flight factors and number of previous flights and the general state of human knowledge. may provide insights into mechanisms of the human Discussion: The potential value of space life body’s adaptability to space flight factors. sciences research on suborbital flights has recently High-priority parameters to be recorded for analy- been reviewed [1, 2]. The physical aspects of the sub- sis should change dramatically during suborbital space orbital space flight environment are well-described in flights which provide physically dynamic phases as [3]. The environment of biomedical interest includes described above. These parameters should be readily about four minutes of continuous weightlessness be- perceptible to the volunteer participant, so as to pro- tween two periods of about a minute each of high acce- vide the personal sensation context of the measure- leration loading, first during powered flight and again ment. They should be amenable to unobtrusive and during atmospheric entry, and the attendant physiolog- safe external detection, measurement and recording, ical and psychological aspects of the experience, in- and should have clinical relevance to the individual’s cluding the external view, the physical freedom offered experience and also be physiologically illuminating in by weightlessness and the personal realization of both the context of the accumulated database. the significance and the potential danger of the expe- A preliminary list of such parameters might in- rience. clude: Several types of physiological adjustment to Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary changes in- weightlessness can become well-established in four cluding heart rate (from an electrocardiograph or a minutes. This is about eight times longer than the next “pulse-meter”), arterial blood pressure (from conti- nearest widely-available opportunity for such expo- nuous-sensing finger or wrist-mounted devices), tho- sure, namely parabolic aircraft flight. 14 LPI Contribution No. 1534

racic blood volume, cardiac output and stroke volume An effort to acquire a large and systematic database (from impedance plethysmography and arterial wave- of human responses to space flight will have a variety form analysis), pulmonary function and arterial oxygen of benefits. The quantitative assessment of risks on saturation (from a pulse oximeter), and regional (head suborbital flights will permit an increase in passenger and limb) blood volume from impedance plethysmo- base as the flights become demonstrably safer; such graphy; data may also limit operator liability if untoward out- Sensory-motor changes inferred from cerebral comes are shown to be independent of the flight itself. function (by electroencephalography), cerebral blood In addition, for what may be the first time in the era of flow (from near-infrared spectroscopy), visual- human space flight, duplication of experiments may vestibular responses (by electroocculography), and actually become encouraged instead of avoided, pro- behavioral strategies (by video and voice analysis)— viding space life sciences research with a luxury that and, of course, motion sickness; has heretofore been avoided as wasteful of limited op- Immunological and endocrinological changes do- portunities and resources. Finally, the general increase cumented in sample swabs and possibly automated in knowledge of the human effects of space flight may venous sampling; illuminate physiological knowledge in general, to the Psychological responses by video and voice re- benefit of people in space and on the Earth. cording, and possibly some brief tests of cognitive In conclusion, every suborbital passenger will in- performance. evitably be the subject of an experiment that has not These should all be interpreted in the context of in- been possible throughout the evolution of life on Earth formation from body-movement monitors and with until the very recent past: exposure to weightlessness spacecraft acceleration records and video- and voice- lasting more than a few seconds. The only question records assumed to be included in the services offered may be whether the data will be collected or lost. by the flight provider. References: [1] Stern A. et al., Next-Generation Physiological recordings will require the appropri- Suborbital Spaceflight: A Research Bonanza at 100 ate suite of sensors, presumably worn on the body. For Kilometers, Space News, Oct. 5, 2009, p. 19. [2] greatest acceptability and thus use, they should be un- Wagner E. et al., Opportunities for Research in Space obtrusive (non-contact sensors whenever possible), Life Sciences Aboard Commercial Suborbital Flights, perhaps integrated into the flight clothing for ease of Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 80:984-6, 2009. [3] Sari- donning, doffing and sensor fixation, compatible with gul-Klijn M. and Sarigul-Klijn N., Flight Mechanics of the spacecraft cabin environment, rugged, reusable, Manned Sub-Orbital Reusable Launch Vehicles with and inexpensive. The data recorder should have a low Recommendations for Launch and Recovery, AIAA profile so as to be almost unnoticeable to the wearer, 2003-0909, Jan. 2003 (rev. April 2003). and battery-powered to avoid tethering the wearer to a spacecraft power supply. Wireless transmission of data and perhaps power are design features worthy of investigation. The insights to be gained from the diverse population of expected volunteer participants can be inferred from consideration of the covariates of specific interest among common cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary risk factors, such as: Uncontrollable risk factors including age, gender and hereditary factors; Controllable risk factors such as history of tobacco use, cholesterol levels, hypertension, body mass index, history of physical activity or inactivity, behavioral responses to stress, and previous space flight history; Operational or flight-related factors such as whether the individual is free-floating or restrained within the cabin, wearing a pressure suit or only lightweight clothing, the presence of motion sickness, changes in cabin atmospheric pressure and temperature, and the direction of acceleration loading (head-to foot if seated upright, chest-to-back if recumbent). Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 15

Medical Support For A Manned Stratospheric Balloon and Freefall Parachute Flight Test Program

1, 2J. B. Clark, A. A. Pilmanis, 2,3 D.H. Murray, 4M. Turney, 5 C. G. Bayne, 6 J. P. Bagian

1 NSBRI/ Center for Space Medicine BCM Houston TX, 2 UTMB Galveston TX, 3 USAFSAM San Antonio TX, 4 Tillamook Emergency Services Tillamook OR, 5 Janus Health, San Diego CA, 6 Dept of Veteran Affairs Washington DC. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Introduction descent and life support system, pressurized capsule, and balloon system. The test program The United States and Russia conducted high- included unmanned balloon and capsule tests, altitude manned balloon research during the vertical wind tunnel and high troposphere tests 1950s and early 1960s in support of their of the drogue and main parachute and space suit, impending manned space programs. The US low pressure chamber tests of the space suit and Navy Strato-Lab program demonstrated the integrated thermal/ vacuum chamber tests of the operational capability of the Navy Mark IV full capsule, space suit and parachute/ life support pressure suit, which was the basis for the Project systems, which will ultimately lead to Mercury space suits, to an altitude of 113,000 incremental stratosphere freefall parachute jumps. feet. The US Air Force Project Excelsior was a A team was formed to develop and implement series of high-altitude balloon parachute jumps medical and physiologic support for this program. testing the Beaupre multi-stage parachute system Issues addressed included protocol development and the standard Air Force MC3 partial pressure for oxygen prebreathe for Decompression suit. The first Excelsior jump resulted in a spin Sickness risk reduction, medical/ physiologic over 100 rpm during freefall. Ultimately this threat briefing, medical/physiologic monitoring program demonstrated a safe freefall parachute for the thermal vacuum test phase and jump from an altitude of 102,800 feet. The stratospheric flights, launch and recovery Russian high altitude balloon parachute program medical planning, and contingency planning. was conducted from the “Volga” pressurized Contingency planning included the development gondola modeled after the Vostok spacecraft. of protocols against two serious known threats Exiting at an altitude of 86,156 feet, an during a stratospheric bailout. In response to the experienced test jumper damaged his faceplate threat of exposure to vacuum from a suit upon exiting and died during descent. Project depressurization, an ebullism treatment protocol Strato Jump was a US civilian freefall record was developed. A protocol was developed to attempt from a high altitude balloon and open address another serious threat, flat spin with gondola. On the second attempt an altitude of negative Gz acceleration. The selection and 123,500 feet was reached but the jumper was testing of the medical/ physiologic monitoring unable to disconnect and on the 3rd attempt the system for use in a pressure suit is a significant jumper was mortally injured during inadvertent challenge. Other activities included safety review, suit depressurization during balloon ascent. Flight Rule development, Mission Control Based on the success of Project Excelsior, a Center operation, human systems interface and procedure for personal parachute usage during capsule occupant protection evaluations. Mercury-Redstone missions was developed. Although never used, the personal parachute Summary system flew on Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) manned by Alan Shepard. Human stratospheric balloons flights entail many of the same operational risks and medical Discussion concerns as human suborbital space flights. The opportunities and mutual benefits for shared In 2009 a privately funded group formed to lessons learned between human stratospheric initiate a manned stratospheric balloon and balloon and human suborbital space flights will freefall parachute jump flight test program. be discussed. The results of this flight test Lessons learned were applied from the early program may have application for crew escape manned stratospheric balloon programs. Multiple from suborbital spacecraft. development paths included space suit, parachute 16 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! : Using Suborbital Flight Programs to Support Formal and Informal Education (And Vice Versa). Emily A. CoBabe-Ammann, EAC&A, Inc.

Suborbital flight programs have the ability to capture the minds of students and the general public, not just because it’s SPACE (how cool is that!!) but because it’s SPACE FOR ME. Kids and the general public will begin to see suborbital space programs as their entrée into space, a place realistically that they can go during their lifetime. As such, suborbital programs have the power to grab the attention (and hold it!) of learners both inside the classroom and outside of it. Here, we’re not just talking about kids in the classroom (though that’s a critical opportunity), but museum goers, artists, musicians – the new classes of Citizen Explorer! In this talk, I’m going to put forward some of the challenges and opportunities involved in bringing the suborbital space program to these learners, including the realities of high‐stakes testing in the classroom, how social media is changing how we talk to the world, and why the Lego Robotics competition is only the start! In addition, we’ll talk about how those institutions with suborbital programs can use them to their benefit (economic and otherwise).

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 17

Armadillo Aerospace and Purdue University Student Experiment Program. S. H. Collicott1, 1Purdue University, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 701 W. Stadium Ave., West Lafay- ette, IN 47907-2045, [email protected]

Introduction: In 2009 undergraduate students in b. Develop integration and operations proce- the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue dures with Armadillo for elaborate future experiments. began designing and building a small, automated low- 3. Education: gravity fluid dynamics experiment. The enabling step a. Provide hands-on original design-build-test was an agreement with Armadillo Aerospace that of- engineering education in a challenging, new, and ex- fered Purdue a ride on a test flight at no cost to Purdue. citing real-world application. Student effort is organized and led through the au- b. Teach the basics of aerospace program man- thor’s original and long-running class, AAE 418 agement by immersing a small team of aerospace en- “Zero-Gravity Flight Experiments”[1]. This class was gineering students in a new spacecraft hardware pro- created to maximize student benefits from participation gram for flight testing. in the annual NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Implicit in all of the above goals is the goal of Opportunity Program (RGSFOP) and, in fall semester making our students better prepared for, and hence of 2009, became the ideal vehicle with which to teach more attractive to, the aerospace companies and agen- low-g experiment design for rocket launches. cies that they wish to go to work for after success at The experiment is one that will explore interface Purdue. topologies between a pair of immiscible liquids in a Hardware: Students are designing and fabricating circular tube. This is motivated by 3-D computations the hardware necessary for this original experiment. performed by the author and a researcher at a CDC lab Figure 1 shows a number of these parts. The complete in West Virginia[2]. It is expected that an initial test- experiment is 5kg or less and fits in a shoe-box sized flight will not produce zero-gravity but rather some- volume. Video data acquisition is from a miniature thing more like Lunar or Martian gravity. So the ex- digital video recorder and camera from the motorcycle periment is designed to explore the fluid physics in helmet-cam market. White LEDs provide illumina- these partial gravities. Hopefully collaboration will tion. Triggering of the liquid injection event is by ac- persist until Armadillo is performing high-altitude celerometer board available in the high-power model zero-gravity flights. At present, Purdue and Armadillo rocketry market – that is, this experiment does not in- are working through development of their respective terface with the rocket. The hardware budget is hardware and expertise at the same time. around $1500. Goals: In this program we seek several goals in science, engineering, and education. Specifically: 1. Science: a. Acquire image data for steady-state configurations of low- and mid-Bond number two-phase fluid topologies in various cylinders. Specifically: i. Wall-bound droplets, ii. Plugs, and iii. The less common annular droplets b. Acquire video data of transitions between topologies in low- and mid-Bond number conditions. This is not possible in drop towers and aircraft flights are too noisy for this purpose. Figure 1. Student-designed and built parts for the Pur- c. Complete an original numerical modeling ef- due-Armadillo automated low-gravity experiment. fort in these two-fluid capillary problems that mix sur- References: face tension and gravitational effects. This will first [1] S. H. Collicott, “An Undergraduate Project Course support experiment sizing and will also produce spe- for the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Oppor- cific hypotheses to test in the flight experiment. tunities Program,” 39th AIAA Aerosp. Sci. Mtg., Reno, 2. Engineering: NV, January 2001. AIAA-2001-0585 a. Create a functioning original automated sin- [2] S. H. Collicott, W. G. Lindsley, D. G. Frazer, gle-injection event capillary fluids experiment with “Zero-Gravity Liquid-Vapor Interfaces in Circular video data acquisition on a small budget. Cylinders,” Phy. of Fl., 18, No. 8, 8 pp., Aug.2006. 18 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Capillary Fluids Design for an Expeirment for Next-Gen Suborbital Flight. S. H. Collicott1 and L. Sharp1, 1Purdue University, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 701 W. Stadium Ave., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2045, [email protected].

Introduction: The emerging “Next-Gen” com- Experiment Design: The test cell is a spherical mercial sub-orbital rocket industry is creating new container with a pair of adjustable thin vanes, see Fig- science facilities in addition to the well-publicized ure 1. Here thin means that the differing thicknesses tourism opportunities. These several-minute long dura- of the two vanes are both much less than the radius of tions of a quality low-gravity test environment permit the sphere. Adjustable means that the position of the capillary fluids experimentation far cheaper and vane relative to the spherical wall is adjustable during quicker than before. A combination of support from the low-gravity test time. The vanes will begin at the the National Science Foundation, Purdue’s College of position that creates the largest gap between vane and Engineering, and Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and wall, large enough to prevent any critical wetting. Astronautics has been secured to enable rapid delivery Adjusting the vanes will narrow the gap, creating criti- of an original capillary fluids experiment. This will be cal wetting conditions. As the two vanes differ sub- for automated operation on a commercial suborbital stantially in thickness, the two sides of the container flight. will reach critical conditions at different vane settings. Experiment Goals: This experiment tests critical This geometry will show changes in liquid positioning, wetting predictions from numerical modeling in three- from approximately the bottom of the sphere to the dimensional containers. In other words, the numerical top, in the weightless test time. Such an investigation modeling is being performed in conditions for which can not be performed in 1-g. Weightlessness is re- the critical wetting lacks the solid mathematical foun- quired for this experiment so that the critical wetting dation of cylindrical containers. Thus the experiment physics to be observed clearly and unambiguously. is necessary to permit application of the numerical Operation of the fluids vessel in the experiment model to fuel cell water management, pulmonary throughout the mission is sketch in Figure 2. Injection health, MEMS-based medical and other instrumenta- of the test liquid is the first mechanical actuation re- tion, and spaceflight life support, thermal control, and quired and then vane actuation follows. Injection will liquid propulsion systems. “Critical wetting” is the be as rapid as possible without permitting geyser for- property of a two-fluid system in which the relative mation. This can be done through keeping Weber wettability of the solid container, described by the con- number of the emerging flow under approximately 1.3 tact angle of the liquid on the solid, and the shape of or with one or more deflection plates above the en- the container determine whether the liquid will form a trance[3]. The operations of the injection hardware finite-height single-valued interface near one end of can be tested in 1g, upside down (-1g), and various the container[1]. If not, the liquid advances by imbibi- sideways or random orientations prior to flight. tion, often even against gravity, up one corner of the Not detailed in the sketches are both non-wetting container to a topologically different equilibrium dis- coatings and unique vane notches to destroy all chance tribution. The importance of the phenomenon can be of critical wetting near the upper ends of the vanes. seen in the dangers of system failure from liquid in the Numerical Modeling: Surface Evolver has been “wrong” place when the phenomenon is ignored or not validated against cylindrical critical wetting and fully understood. Fuel cell gas-transport passages can against classical capillary instability analyses[4]. No be blocked[2], wicking of liquids in MEMS devices can differ from the desired wicking, condensers in other computer model has such fidelity in contact an- miniature heat-transfer loops can clog, and similar, all gle effects. CFD packages such as Flow3-D, Fluent, from insufficient understanding of the critical wetting and the newer OpenFOAM show promise and indeed phenomenon in 3-D geometries. This Purdue 3-D gap- improve with each generation of computing memory type critical wetting experiment is this first to explore and power, but are fundamentally dynamics codes and the phenomenon and to test specific hypotheses are thus intrinsically ill-suited for capillary fluid statics formed from extending the numerical modeling from problems such as existence of an assumed free surface the proven 2-D cases into 3-D. topology or linear stability of an equilibrium free surface. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 19

Figure 1. Notional sketches of two views of proposed experiment test cell. The vanes differ in thickness and thus the two non-dimensional gap sizes (gap/thickness) differ for equivalent vane angles. Dashed vane outline shows a large-gap setting. Acknowledgements: Support from the National Fuel Cell:, V5&6, Vielstich, W., Gasteiger, H.A., Yo- Science Foundation Fluid Dynamics program is appre- kokawa, H.(ed.). J Wiley & Sons, UK, pp687-698, ciated. The School of Aeornautics and Astronautics 2009. and the College of Engineering at Purdue Univeristy [3] Collicott, S. H., Weislogel, M. M., “Computing have partnered to support the research. Existence and Stability of Capillary Surfaces using References: Surface Evolver,” AIAA J, 42, pp. 289-295, Feb 2004. [1] Finn, R., “Capillary Surface Interfaces,” No- [4]. Symons, E. P., Nussle, R. C., Abdalla, K. L., tices of the AMS, 46, No. 7, pp. 770-781, Aug., 1999. “Liquid Inflow to Initially Empty, Hemispherical [2] Allen, J.S., Son, S.Y., Collicott, S.H., “Proton Ended Cylinders During Weightlessness”, NASA, TN- exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) flow-field M628, 1968. design for improved water management”, Hdbk of

Figure 2. Sketch of operation plan for 3-minutes of zero-gravity. Note the symmetric changes in vane angles that reduce gap sizes. Draining is not required prior to the end of the mission. Vane actuation and stiffening hardware are not shown. 20 LPI Contribution No. 1534

BUILDING PLANETS ON SUBORBITAL FLIGHTS. J. E. Colwell1, J. Blum2, and D. D.Durda3. 1Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando FL 32816-2385, jcol- [email protected]. 2Inst. for Geophysics and extraterrestrial Physics, University of Braunschweig, 38106 Braun- schweig, Germany. 3Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder CO, 80302.

Introduction: The formation of km-sized important so that the temporal evolution of the particle planetesimals by collisional accretion of cm- to m- velocities depends mainly on the number density. We sized dust aggregates in the protoplanetary disk de- envisage the following parameters: aggregate radius r pends on the amount of material that is dislodged in = 1 mm, thus σ = 4πr2 = 1.3×10-5 m2, number density collisions compared to the amount accreted. The stan- of dust aggregates n = 107 m-3, coefficient of restitution

dard model of planet formation proceeds from the ε ~ 0.2, initial velocity v0 ~ 0.1 m/s. Thus, we will gravitational collapse of an interstellar cloud of gas reach the desired range of collision velocities within and dust through collisional accretion of solids into ~1 s after injection. planetesimals and eventual runaway growth to form We expect to extend our knowledge on the colli- the terrestrial and giant planets [1]. For more than 30 sional evolution of protoplanetary dust aggregates years there have been two theories about how one down to collision velocities <1 mm/s, being only lim- critical stage of that process occurs, namely the growth ited by the residual acceleration, which will ultimately of solid bodies from mm-sized chondrules and aggre- drive the particles to the walls of the experiment cham- gates to km-sized planetesimals where gravity be- ber. For mm-sized dust aggregates we expect sticking comes an important force for further growth. at velocities below 0.5 mm/s and/or the occurrence of a The evolutionary tracks of protoplanetary dust ag- clumping instability. Both effects should be observable gregates, from µm-sized dust to cm-sized pebbles lead in the experiment. As the expected duration of a single through a parameter space that has not yet been cov- experiment ranges between 10 s and 30 s, we will be ered by experiments. Multiple collisions among free- able to perform a series of ~10 individual runs, thus flying particles (e.g. dust aggregates) with velocities gaining statistics and being able to vary the grain prop- <0.01 m/s are impossible to perform in the lab due to erties. The collisional evolution of the dust aggregates the overwhelming effect of gravitational acceleration. (i.e. their individual sizes and velocities) will be Thus, free collisions in the sub-cm/s velocity range followed over time using high-speed video imaging. In require a microgravity environment. We are develop- addition to that, each individual collision will be re- ing an experiment for flight on a next generation com- corded in three dimensions so that we can map the mercial suborbital rocket flight to study the collisional collisional outcome for the full parameter space (parti- physics of the early stages of planetesimal growth and cle masses, impact velocity, impact angle). the behavior of the regolith on planetesimals and other Collisions Into Dust Experiment-3. The COLLIDE- objects with very low surface gravity. 3 module will carry out experiments on low energy Microgravity Experiment on Dust Environ- impacts into regolith to quantify and understand the ments in Astrophysics: MEDEA is an experiment production of ejecta and dissipation of energy in colli- with three modules designed to study the early stages sions between sub-m-scale aggregates and particles in of planet formation and the behavior of regolith in low- protoplanetary nebulae. This module is a modification gravity planetary environments. of the COLLIDE experiment that flew twice on the Protoplanetary Dust Evolution Module. At the start space shuttle [5,6]. The collisions in this module inves- of the Protoplanetary Dust Evolution experiment, dust tigate the dissipation of energy in low-velocity impacts aggregates will be mechanically excited to induce low- into regolith. Previous experiments have indicated a velocity collisions. Due to the mutual, highly inelastic possible threshold velocity betweeen accretion and collisions among the dust aggregates the collision ve- erosion near 10-20 cm/s [6]. The experiments per- locities will decrease following Haff’s law. formed in MEDEA will therefore be tuned to explore For relatively elastic, cm-sized glass beads this part of the parameter space. The results from these (ε=0.64), drop-tower experiments showed that the ini- experiments will also apply to the collisional evolution tial velocity of v0=10 cm/s falls to ~0.3 cm/s within 9 s, of planetary rings, where ring particle collision veloci- according to Haff’s law [2]. Based on dust-aggregate ties are < 1 m/s, and the abundance of dust within the collision experiments in the laboratory at velocities ~1 rings is directly related to the amount released in colli- m/s [3,4], we expect coefficients of restitution ε≈0.2. sions between the larger particles [7,8]. For small ε, the coefficient of restitution is no longer Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 21

This experiment consists of impacts by solid, sin- Press. [2] Heißelmann, D., J. Blum, and K. Wolling gle-particle impactors that are 1 to 2 cm in diameter 2009, in Powders and Grains 2009: Proceedings of the into a 2-cm deep bed of simulated planetary regolith. 6th International Conference on Micromechanics of JSC-1 lunar regolith simulant will be used as the target Granular Media, Eds.: M. Nakagawa and S. Luding, material in most of the impact experiments, with quartz AIP Conference Proceedings, 1145, 785-787. [3] sand used as a control in one experiment. The different Heißelmann, D., H. Fraser, and J. Blum 2007, in Proc. shapes of the grains in the two materials lead to differ- 58th Int. Astronautical Congress 2007, (Paris: Int. As- ent responses to the impacts at low energies. Data will tronautical Federation) IAC-07-A2.1.02. [4] Blum, J., consist of high speed (at least 200 frames/s) video to and M. Münch 1993, Icarus 106, 151-167. [5] Colwell, track the ejecta produced as well as precisely measure J. E., and M. Taylor 1999. Icarus 138, 241-248. [6] any rebound of the impactors. Colwell, J. E. 2003. Icarus 164, doi: 10.1016/S0019- Rubble Pile Evolution Module. The Rubble Pile 1035(03)00083-6. [7] Colwell, J. E. and L. W. Espo- module will provide the first microgravity experimen- sito 1990. Icarus 86, 530-560. [8] Colwell, J. E. and tal study of the mechanical reorientation of ejecta L. W. Esposito 1990. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 1741- blocks and test methods of reconstruction of the distri- 1744. [9] Michikami, T., A. M. Nakamura, and N. Hi- bution of the blocks from imaging data. Knowledge of rata 2009. Icarus, submitted. the surface properties of small asteroids and comets is important for relating astronomical observations of these objects to geologic “ground truth”, for understanding their relationships to meteorites, and for designing technologies and techniques for future robotic and human exploration, resource utilization, and impact hazard mitigation. Detailed observations of the surfaces of near-Earth asteroids Eros and Itokawa as observed by the NASA NEAR-Shoemaker and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Hayabusa missions, respectively, make the regoliths (the surface “soil”, composed of fragments of rock ground to various sizes by myriad impacts large and small) on these small bodies valuable natural laboratories for evaluating various models of their formation and evolution. This investigation will examine the settling of regolith blocks in low/micro-gravity conditions applicable to the surface of a small asteroid and the derivation of block shapes from imaging (i.e., comparison of derived axes ratios from 2D projection in images to known true 3D axes ratios). The experiment consists of a simple “box of rocks” (artificial bricks of known size and shape) and a video camera to record images of the settled pile of rubble. The experiment will be executed by imaging the settled positions and orientations of the collection of identically-shaped, unglazed ceramic bricks, a subset of which are artificially colored to distinguish and highlight their shapes in post-flight image analysis using thresholding image processing. Reconstructed dimensions will be compared to the known dimensions of the bricks and compared with similar image analysis efforts conducted by ourselves and others (e.g., [9]) using NEAR-Shoemaker and Hayabusa images to advance our understanding of the morphology of small asteroid regolith structures.

References: [1] Klahr, H., and W. Brandner 2006. Planet Formation: Theory, Observation, and Experi- ments, (editors). Cambridge: Cambridge University 22 LPI Contribution No. 1534

EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH FROM EXTREME LOCATIONS Keith L. Cowing

During the Apollo 11 mission, hundreds of millions - perhaps a billion people watched live television images from the surface of the Moon. Since that time it has almost been a requirement that each new accomplishment in terms of exploration and adventure (major and minor) be similarly conveyed to the folks back home. We now have Twittering astronauts in space, blogging scientists in Antarctica, live TV from the summit of Mt. Everest, webcams bolted on the outside of rockets, and helmet cams attached to daredevil's heads.

As we move into newer regimes of exploration and excitement such as suborbital flight, what will become accepted common practice for education and public outreach? Moreover, can such elements of participatory exploration actually be used to leverage support and funding for the activities themselves?

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 23

Medical Considerations for Suborbital Spaceflight Operations. C. Marsh Cuttino, Virginia Emergency Physi- cians, Emergency Consultants, Inc. Address: 9002 Rio Grande Road, Henrico, VA 23229. [email protected].

Introduction: With the advent of commercial Spaceflight Medical Risk spacecraft capable of repeated suborbital flight the Considerations opportunity for spaceflight participants to fly into Acceleration space is increasing. The suborbital spaceflight medical Barometric pressure environment participants will encounter has not been Microgravity investigated since the early 1960’s. While the envi- Radiation ronment of suborbital spaceflight has been generally Noise characterized, current experience has generally been Vibration limited to manned flights above or below this flight Temperature region. Participants will have a varied medical back- Life support systems ground that will affect their response to the spaceflight environment and have changing medical needs during Behavioral issues flight operations. Many of these effects may be diffi- Communication cult to predict, but provide an opportunity to expand Traumatic injury the knowledge base for future flight operations. The medical considerations for suborbital space- Medical Risk Considerations: The selection and flight operations include mitigation of risks, prepared- screening of spacefarers has been discussed in the ness, response, and recovery. Research into the space medical literature and the FAA has developed sug- life sciences during flight operations will increase gested guidelines for medical professionals to use for knowledge and safety. This creates a positive feedback evaluation of potential participants. [1] While govern- loop increasing the safety margin for future spaceflight ment sponsored astronauts generally are held to higher participants. medical standards, commercial spaceflight participants with significant medical problems have been cleared Discussion: While much has been written and dis- and successfully flown to the International Space Sta- cussed about the medical screening and clearance of tion without adverse medical consequences. Signifi- spaceflight participants, little discussion has occurred cant medical testing and preventative treatment were about the continuum of care required as they flow applied prior to medical clearance. [2] It should be through the flight operations. Providing medical care noted that the current FAA guidelines do not require for participants begins prior to launch activities with spaceflight participants to undergo a physical exam preflight testing and screening to determine suitability prior to flight, but the rule does require informed con- for flight operations. Spaceflight participants will need sent of the risks of suborbital spaceflight. [3] The rule preflight safety training, and emergency protective states that safety critical flight crew must have passed measures taught prior to flight operations. During an FAA second-class airman medical certificate not flight operations support personnel will need to be more than 12 months prior to the month of the launch available for emergency response and recovery. Bio- and reentry. medical and life science research will have experiment The general framework of the medical risks of pre- specific impacts on flight operations. Post flight recov- existing medical conditions and their potential interac- ery and return operations have additional medical im- tions with the spaceflight environment has been well plications for the returning spacefarers. described, but the actual physiological response may Suborbital spaceflight is considered an extreme en- be different than that predicted. [4] Ongoing monitor- vironment, and it is the effect of this environment upon ing of spaceflight participants may be beneficial to the human body that is of interest to medical providers future travelers, but may be problematic from a privacy and researchers. These environmental effects have issue unless the participants voluntarily agree or fed- physiologic implications for both the risk to spaceflight eral regulations change to require such tracking. Pre- participants, and in the provision of care and mitigation flight identification of individuals with significant of injuries. Some of the effects are unique to the envi- medical problems will allow for development of effec- ronment, and may be difficult to predict. tive medical treatment and response capabilities. During flight operations, the medical needs of the participants may be met through the use of dedicated trained personnel. NASA at the Kennedy Space Center 24 LPI Contribution No. 1534

uses a combination of NASA Flight Surgeons, and will be able to participate in their experiments and in- subcontractors with active experience in Emergency teract with subjects directly, depending on the experi- Medicine and Trauma Surgery to provide medical sup- mental design. port during Space Shuttle launch and landing operations. [5] Inflight medical support is provided by a Summary: Commercial suborbital spaceflight will dedicated group of flight surgeons. Commercial subor- require careful consideration to manage the medical bital flights with their shorter time frame will be able implications of this extreme environment. Evaluation to condense medical support operations to a single of the participants may be required and careful plan- group that can be present and active for the duration of ning by the medical team will be needed to ensure that flight activities. all flight operations are completed in a safe manner. A Medical needs during flight operations will include robust preparedness plan will need to be incorporated emergency medical response, treatment, and evacua- into flight operations. This difficult environment also tion capabilities. Response requirements will vary de- provides the opportunity to evaluate and study the en- pending on the type of vehicle, location, number of vironmental effects on human physiology and patho- participants, and failure modes. Careful planning and physiologic conditions. development of a trained medical response team will be required to provide a robust response to an adverse event. References: [1] FAA (2003) Guidance for Medical One of the largest medical impacts inflight will Screening of Commercial Aerospace Passengers. [2] come from the amount and orientation of the accelera- Jennings R. T. et al. (2006) Aviat Space Environ Med; tion and gravity load on the spaceflight participant. 77:475-84. [3] Department of Transportation, FAA This is a large part will be determined by the flight (2006) 14 CFR Part 460. [4] Antuñano M.J., Gerzer R. profile and vehicle configuration. In general, gravity (2009) IAASG Study Group Report. [5] Rodenberg H., loading from the head of the spaceflight participant Myers, K.J. (1995) JEM 13(4) 553-561. [6] McKenzie down (+Gz or “eyeballs down”) is not tolerated as well I., Gillingham, K. (1993) Aviat Space Environ Med; as gravity loading front to back (+Gx or “eyeballs in”). 64: 687-691. [7] Wagner, E.B., Charles, J.B., Cuttino, Significant gravity loading is known to cause arrhyth- C.M. (2009) Aviat Space Environ Med; 80:984-986. mia even in healthy participants. [6] Recovery operations will include safely returning the spaceflight participants back to the operations base and ensuring that no adverse events occurred during flight operations. The medical team can monitor reduction of environmental hazards and return from the landing site. In the event of a non-nominal landing medical evaluation of the participants should be a priority. Life Science Research Opportunities: The opportunity provided by commercial suborbital flights to study physiologic changes and adaptation during spaceflight will provide knowledge and insight to the medical and scientific communities. [7] Areas of interest will include transition physiology from hyper gravity to microgravity, cardiovascular response and adaptation, neurovestibular adaptation, and the response of patho- logic conditions to microgravity. Human behavior and performance in extreme environments can be studied in a reproducible manner. The extended duration of microgravity can be utilized for psychomotor training in the performance of medical procedures, diagnostic studies and pharma- cologic evaluations. Suborbital flight operations will allow investigators to interact with payloads and passengers in real time and to minimize the separation between flight and experiment recovery. Investigators Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 25

SOLAR OBSERVING FROM NEXT-GENERATION SUBORBITAL PLATFORMS C. DeForest. Southwest Research Institute ([email protected])

Much of the interesting physics in the solar atmosphere is invisible from ground level. Solar ultraviolet emission lines reveal the Sun's magnetic structure and high temperature atmosphere far better than can be seen from within our atmosphere. NASA's unmanned suborbital rocket program has long been a proving ground for new observing techniques and new ideas about how our star heats its atmosphere. This status comes because the barriers to entry are low for sounding rockets, compared to orbital and deep-space missions that cost two orders of magnitude more dollars.

The current wave of manned suborbital space flight projects promises to lower that barrier to entry still further, with launch costs an order of magnitude less even than current unmanned rockets. Further, many interesting physical questions are accessible with small "carry- on-class" instruments that could be deployed inside a cabin, either to observe wave phenomena in visible light through an optical quality polycarbonate porthole or plasma dynamics in UV through a special quartz port. With promised weekly to daily flight cadences, small instruments could be tested inflight, refined, and reflown within a week, greatly reducing costs.

I will discuss several scientific lines of inquiry that will benefit from manned suborbital spaceflight, and advocate a strategy to lower entry barriers still further using standardized interfaces to a miniaturized telescope platform.

26 LPI Contribution No. 1534

EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS IN THE STRATOSPHERE: AIRBORNE ASTRONOMY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH Edna K. DeVore1 and Dana E. Backman2, 1Director of Education and Outreach, SETI Institute, 515 N. Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, [email protected], 2SOFIA Outreach Director, SETI Institute, 515 N. Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043. [email protected]

Introduction: Embedding educators in scientific 9815426. [2] Silverstein, S., Dubner, J. Glied, S. and research environments provides unique learning and Loike, J. (2009) Science, 326, 440-442. [3] Koch, D., teaching experiences. Research experiences have been Gillespie, C, Hull, G. DeVore, E. (1997) ASP Confer- shown to enhance teachers’ STEM (Science, Technol- ence Series, 89, 228-229. [4] DeVore, E., Gillespie, C. ogy, Engineering, and Mathematics) professional Hull, G. and Koch D. (1995) ASP Conference Series, knowledge and skills [1], which impacts the quality of 73, 625-630. [5] DeVore, E., (1995) ASP Conference their student’s classroom experience and performance Series, 73, 631-633. [5] Keller, J. and Williams, S. [2]. Teacher partnerships also create more opportuni- (1995) ASP Conference Series, 73, 635-639. ties for scientists, engineers and technologists to be [7] DeVore, E. and Bennett, M. (2004) ASP Confer- engaged in outreach in formal and informal settings. ence Series, 319, 77-84. Both communities benefit from teacher research expe- Additional Information: For additional informa- rience programs. tion on SETI Institute’s Education and Public Outreach Airborne Astronomy Education and Outreach: programs, please visit: http://www.seti.org and the NASA conducts research in Earth and space sciences SOFIA Education and Outreach program at using airborne platforms. The airborne astronomy re- http://www.sofia.usra.edu/ search aircraft are designed to conduct infrared astron- . omy possible only from high altitudes or in space. Air- borne telescopes have a significant advantage: they perform like space missions but land each morning. Airborne observatories bring together STEM professionals and STEM educators in a unique research environment. This talk will reflect upon the lessons learned from the Flight Opportunities for Science Teacher En- Richment (FOSTER) program conducted coopera- tively between NASA Headquarters, NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute. The FOSTER program provided professional development for teachers and flight experiences onboard NASA’s Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) from 1991 until 1995 when the observatory was retired [3, 4, 5, 6]. Late in the KAO’s service, a series of flights hosted “Live from the Stratosphere,” a nation-wide educational broadcast, transmitted directly from the KAO to schools, NASA centers, and science museums. The “Live from the Stratosphere” events point to media- driven outreach opportunities for suborbital vehicles of all types. The KAO’s successor, the Stratospheric Ob- servatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is designed to support an expanded research experience for teacher teams with the Airborne Astronomy Ambassador program, which draws upon experiences from FOSTER on the KAO and comparable teacher research experiences in diverse scientific environments [7]. Educa- tor’s research experiences translate into new classroom teaching strategies and public outreach in their communities. References: [1] Russell, S., Hancock, M, (2005) Evaluation of the RET Program, Final Report, NSF Contract EEC- Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 27

INVESTIGATING UPPER ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS FROM NEXT GENERATION SUBORBITAL PLATFORMS: NOVEL OBSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE INSTRUMENTATION. C. R. Englert1, J. M. Harlander2, D. E. Siskind1 and D. D. Babcock3, 1Naval Research Laboratory, Space Science Division, 4555 Overlook Ave SW, Washington DC, 20375, USA , 2St. Cloud State University Department of Physics Astronomy and Engineering, St. Cloud, MN, 56301, USA, 3Artep Inc., 2922 Excelsior Springs Ct, Ellicott City, Maryland 21042, USA.

Introduction: Next generation suborbital vehicles going. A photograph of the interferometer is shown in provide an unprecedented, radically different experi- Figure 1. ment platform, that will influence many scientific Desired Vehicle Resources: Using optical remote fields. They provide previously unavailable access to sensing devices for scientific and instrument develop- the thermosphere, relatively long dwell times at the ment purposes is likely not going to put any unusual peak altitude, the opportunity to have a human opera- power, mass, or size demands onto the vehicle. How- tor on board, and frequent and affordable flights at ever, it may require special window materials, and several locations. The investigation of upper atmos- somewhat stringent requirements on viewing geome- pheric dynamics, especially winds, can potentially try, pointing control, and pointing knowledge. Exam- benefit significantly from these new platforms in two ples applicable to the remote measurement of upper ways: First, the vehicles could be used as platforms for atmospheric winds will be presented. in-situ and/or remote sensing wind instruments to measure winds from the stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere, all of which are by no means well understood at the present time. Secondly, next generation suborbital vehicles can be used to rapidly increase the technical readiness level (TRL) of novel instrumentation, especially, when adequate test measurements cannot be performed from the ground, sounding rockets, or balloons. An accelerated TRL increase will shorten the necessary time to bring a new sensor idea from the conceptual stage to, for example, an operational satellite instrument. Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy (DASH) is a novel optical technique for remotely measuring winds that could take advantage of both of these benefits. The DASH Concept: A DASH interferometer [1] is a modified Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy (SHS)

[2,3], optimized to measure the Doppler shift of atmospheric emission lines, which carries the informa- Figure 1: Photograph of the first monolithic DASH tion of the line of sight wind speed. DASH can be re- interferometer. This interferometer is designed for the garded as a combination of SHS and the stepped thermospheric “red line”. A silver dollar is provided Michelson technique, which was used, for example, for size comparison. for the highly successful WINDII instrument on the NASA UARS satellite [4]. The DASH concept has References: [1] Englert C. R. et al. (2007) Appl. high interferometric throughput, and does neither re- Opt., 46, 7297-7307. [2] Harlander J. M. et al. (1992) quire moving parts nor the isolation of a single atmos- Astrophys. J., 396, 730–740. [3] Englert C. R. et al. pheric emission line, which eliminates the need for an (2008) Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, doi:10.1029/2008 ultra-narrow pre-filter. In addition, DASH allows the GL035420. [4] Shepherd G. G. (1993) J. Geophys. simultaneous calibration of each measurement with an Res., 98, 10725–10750. [5] Englert C. R. (2006) Proc. on-board frequency standard. SPIE, 6303, 63030T. The DASH concept was first published in 2006 [5] Acknowledgements: This work is supported by and subsequent laboratory studies have increased its the Office of Naval Research and NASA. TRL [1]. Recently, the first monolithic DASH interferometer was successfully integrated and laboratory testing of this compact, rugged device is currently on- 28 LPI Contribution No. 1534

DYNAMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF LUNAR SIMULANTS USING RESONANT COLUMN PROCEDURES. Tonya Freeborn1, Masami Nakagawa2, Judith Wang3, and Michael Weisntein4. 1Graduate Research Assistant, Division of Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1610 Illinois Street, Golden, CO 80401; PH (559) 471-6763; email: [email protected], 2 Associate Professor, Department of Mining Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1610 Illinois Street, Golden, CO 80401; PH (303) 384-2132; email: [email protected], 3Assistant Professor, Division of Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1610 Illinois Street, Golden, CO 80401; PH (303) 273-3836; email: [email protected], 4President, Zybek Advanced Plasma, 2845 29th Street, Boulder, CO 80301; PH (303) 530-2727; email:[email protected].

Abstract: Stiffness degradation and viscous damping ratio curves provide the necessary elastic and dissipative parameters required to characterize soil deposits for dynamic analyses. Although extensive research has been performed to measure and document shear strain (γ)-dependent shear moduli (G(γ)) and viscous damping ratios (ξ(γ)) for soils encountered in Earth-based construction practices, these dynamic geotechnical properties have not been investigated for lunar regolith. This represents a significant limiting factor in our abilities to predict lunar regolith’s physical reactions when exposed to the multitude of dynamic loading situations that will be encountered in the exploration and colonization of the lunar surface. The objective of the presented study is therefore to perform the first small-strain dynamic investigations of lunar regolith, using a resonant column apparatus upon a variety of lunar simulant specimens. In addition to JSC-1, a series of newly manufactured advanced simulants (ZAP™) including agglutinates will be used for dynamic property comparisons. The resonant column device used is a fixed-free torsional device capable of generating G(γ) and ξ(γ) curves along the small strain range of 10-4% to 0.10% under isotropic stress conditions. The dynamic properties of the various simulants and their usage and implications in lunar exploration and construction are then discussed. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 29

NSRC ATMOSPHERE-IONOSPHERE COUPLING SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES. D. Fritts1, 1 NorthWest Research Associates/Colorado Research Associates (CoRA) Division, 3380 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, Colorado 80301, [email protected].

Abstract: Recent studies have demonstrated significant coupling between the neutral atmosphere and ionosphere having influences that extend from the F layer to very high altitudes. The underlying neutral dynamics, comprising various wave motions arising in the lower atmosphere and the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) are able to propagate directly or map, through neutral dynamics or electrodynamics, well into the ionosphere. These neutral dynamics and their coupling to the ionosphere likely have major influences in the thermosphere-ionosphere (TI) system relevant to “space weather”, climate, and numerical weather prediction. This talk will describe evidence for neutral atmosphere – ionosphere coupling via gravity waves occurring at horizontal scales of ~100 to 2000 km and possible measurement strategies and instruments with which these dynamics could be examined in detail. Electron density perturbations seen during the SpreadFEx campaign (after Fritts et al., 2008) and predicted TEC fluctuations with time accompanying larger-scale gravity waves excited by a body forcing event in the lower thermosphere simulated with the NCAR TIME GCM (Vadas and Liu, 2009) are shown at right as two examples of such neutral atmosphere – ionosphere coupling. 30 LPI Contribution No. 1534

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager. L.Glesener,1 S. Krucker1, S. Christe2, 1 Space Sciences Laboratory, Uni- versity of California, Berkeley 2 NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center

FOXSI is a sounding rocket payload funded under the NASA Low-Cost Access to Space program and is scheduled to launch in late 2010.

Particle acceleration in small "nanoflares" in the quiet Sun is thought to play an important role in the heating of the corona to millions of degrees Kelvin. In order to measure the non- thermal energy content of nanoflares, high energy sensitivity and a large dynamic range are needed. To date, the most sensitive HXR images are made using a rotating modulating collimator aboard the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Spectro- scopic Imager satellite (RHESSI). However, the rotating modulation technique is intrinsically limited in sensitivity and dynamic range.

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) will use grazing-incidence optics to focus X-rays at a 2-meter focal length in the 5-15 keV range. FOXSI will achieve a sensitivity ~100 times better than that of RHESSI at energies around 10 keV. FOXSI uses nested-shell, grazing-angle optics and silicon strip detectors to achieve an angular resolution of 12" (FWHM) and ~1 keV energy resolution. With an observation of ~5 minutes, FOXSI will make the first estimates of non- thermal energy content in small flares from the quiet Sun. The focusing optics technique developed by FOXSI will prove useful to future solar HXR observing missions, especially those interested in imaging faint HXR emission from particle acceleration regions in the corona.

Observations will be made for approximately 5 minutes at altitudes above 150 km, in order to mitigate atmospheric absorption of X-rays in the 5-15 keV range. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 31

Three Dimensional Human Tissues as Surrogates for Research into Human Cellular Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics During Suborbital Space Flight

Thomas J. Goodwin, Thomas B. Albrecht, Michael A. Schmidt, Roy Goodacre, Iraida Sharina, Ferid Murad

Since the Apollo era, microgravity research has been on a quest to discern the governing elements of the microgravity environment, and to discover how those components individually and combinatorially affect human cellular and tissue responses. For more than twenty years, our laboratory at NASA (Disease Modeling and Tissue Analogues Laboratory) has been developing 3D tissue models, which are superior to 2D systems in their ability to emulate many of the physiological characteristics of normal human tissues. This revolutionary development has led to the publication of more than 800 scientific articles and at least 28 US patents over as many years. These advanced 3-dimensional human tissue models have flown on 16 Shuttle and ISS missions, which has given us insight into the rigor of these models under varied space and earthbound conditions.

We propose to employ scientifically validated models of 3D human lung and neural tissues, to study the cellular and subcellular changes observable during suborbital transition to microgravity. This strategy will separate the initial microgravity response from later phenomena, which include radiation and electromagnetic influences. Adaptive cellular responses can also be assessed by concomitant cultivation of human 3D models with human microbes, which are constitutively expressed as a consequence of pre-flight stress and in-flight exposure to a reduced gravity environment. These data can then be coupled with previously acquired data from space flight missions assessing human genomics.

Gene expression and proteomic profiles can be used to characterize the behavior of these human tissue models at various stages of the suborbital trajectory and the suborbital environment. These tissue models can also be used to characterize the metabolome (or the non-targeted small molecule pool) associated with the suborbital environment for the purpose of understanding metabolic networks. ‘Omic data (gene, protein, metabolite) can be correlated with physical data (acceleration, G-force, vibration, etc) at each stage of flight to help us better 32 LPI Contribution No. 1534

describe the transitional biological and biochemical events associated with suborbital flight. In short, this project allows us to begin mapping the human tissue genome, proteome, and metabolome for suborbital spaceflight. This will help us better understand events associated with human tolerance, host defenses, and array of performance-related issues. Ultimately these analyses will permit us to associate the suborbital changes with adaptations seen in longer term habitation of microgravity, thus serving to predict possible health risks and the need for countermeasure development. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 33

GETTING TEACHERS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH: A POTENTIAL COMPONENT OF FUTURE SUB- ORBITAL MISSIONS V. Gorjian,1 L. M. Rebull2, T. Spuck3, G. Squires2, and the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program Team, 1Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech ([email protected]), 2Spitzer Science Center/Caltech, 3Oil City High School

Introduction: One really good way to get the team in person for the first time and get started on de- word out about how science works is to have more fining their science program (their first task after re- people experience the process of scientific research. turning home is to collaborate and write their pro- The way we have chosen to do this, since 2004, is to posal), and to network with past, present, and future provide authentic research experiences for teachers colleagues (just like professional astronomers). using Spitzer Space Telescope data. We present this as Main data reduction: The following summer, the a model for EPO programs arising from the various teachers and two carefully selected students per teacher suborbital missions being considered, and offer the attend a workshop at IPAC, home of the Spitzer Sci- opportunity for collaboration on future missions. ence Center, at Caltech. This visit is the heart of the The program originally called the Spitzer Program program, and is where most of the hard work on the for Teachers and Students has newly been rechris- project takes place. For three days, each of the teach- tened NITARP: the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive ers and their students typically work 10-12 hour days Research Program. We partner small groups of high with their scientist intensively learning the astron- school teachers with a mentor astronomer, they do omy/physics, how to work with their data, developing research as a team, write it up, and present it at an a work plan for the rest of the project, and talking as a American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting. The group about how to work their project into their curric- teachers incorporate this experience into their class- ula at home. room, and their experiences color their teaching for Attending the second professional meeting and pre- years to come, influencing 100s of students per senting results: Finally, at the second AAS meeting (a teacher. year after the first) is when the teams proudly present Teacher Selection: NITARP selects teachers from the work they have done. Each team is expected to a competitive nation-wide selection process; teachers present at least two posters – one on the science and have to apply via an essay-style application to be ac- one on the educational aspects of their project. The cepted. Applications are due annually in September. science poster is displayed as part of a regular science The Research Program: The following is a brief session (not an education session), and many of the description of the cycle that the selected teachers fol- students are often pleasantly surprised when profes- low in their research project in astronomy. A similar sional astronomers come by and are eager to learn path can be reproduced for any other science mission. what they did… and the astronomers are often shocked Attending the introductory workshop and first pro- to learn that they are “just” high school students and fessional meeting: A teacher starting this program at- their teachers. Often teachers present educational tends our workshop held immediately before a January products as part of their educational poster (e.g., cur- AAS meeting to get rapidly up to speed on the avail- ricula or Excel spreadsheets to support working with able datasets, tools, archives, etc., and to learn the ba- Spitzer data); these are all collected and shared on our sics of multi-wavelength astronomy. Then, for most wiki and website. teachers, they attend their first AAS meeting ever (See Program Results: From the eleven major research 2006 team below). This is a critical experience because projects sponsored by the program so far, 31 scientific they need to experience the community of astronomers posters have been presented, and a number of scientific (“I learned that astronomers are normal, friendly peo- papers have been published. Students involved in the ple” – real quote from a participant!), they need to see program have received regional and international sci- what an AAS poster is like (because they are going to ence fair awards. In terms of impact on the local be asked to write one in the coming year), to meet their community, there have been nearly 100 newspaper, radio, and TV reports, and numerous Internet articles reporting on various aspects of teacher and student involvement in the project, and over 100 students feel the program has influenced them to pursue careers in science. Finally, one Texas teacher’s involvement in this program played a major role in the state of Texas adopting astronomy as a high school science. This program has a record of success, and we can collaborate with you to start a similar program for your mission. 34 LPI Contribution No. 1534

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION MISSION CAPABILITIES OF THE LYNX SUBORBITAL VEHICLE. J.K. Greason,1 K.R. McKee2, and D. DeLong.3 1XCOR Aerospace, Mojave, CA, 2XCOR Aerospace, PO Box 1163, Mojave, CA 93502, [email protected], 3XCOR Aerospace, Mojave, CA.

Introduction: XCOR Aerospace is a private, The Lynx Mark II (Figure 1) follows devel- commercial space transportation company located in opment of the Mark I flight operations by twelve Mojave, California. We started in 1999 building rocket months. Performance estimates for the Mark II version engines and quickly evolved to building rocket- show considerable improvement, indicating 100 km powered planes. To date we have designed, built, and (330,000 ft) altitude and Mach 3.5 capability. While tested twelve different rocket engines, two rocket the flight profile is similar between the Mark I and planes, and countless subsystems and components. We Mark II, the overall performance envelope is signifi- are currently in the process of developing and building cantly different. Additionally, Mark II will be able to the reusable launch vehicle (RLV) named Lynx to fly launch a two stage to orbit satellite. suborbital spaceflight missions. All Lynx maintenance, payload operations, Our first vehicle, the EZ-Rocket, demon- and routine flight operations support will initially be strated that we could develop safe and reliable rocket done at the Mojave Space Port. The vehicle is flown propulsion and integrate that into a horizontal take- by one pilot with no computer assistance except guid- off/horizontal landing vehicle. The EZ-Rocket has ance and navigation displays. Aircraft-like capabilities flown twenty-six times and in December 2005 set the enable it to operate from any airport with a 2,100 m National Aeronautic Association (NAA) certified Dis- (7,000 ft) runway and appropriate airspace. It will have tance without Landing long distance record for a rapid call-up and turnaround times (from 10 minutes to ground-launched rocket-powered aircraft with Dick 1 hour), and the ability to perform up to four sorties Rutan as pilot. per day per vehicle. Its low maintenance of two-hour The X-Racer is XCOR’s second generation engine runtime overhaul intervals enables reliable and prototype plane. It has three times the propellant load responsive operations. as the EZ-Rocket, a proprietary piston pump to get the Dynamic payload capabilities include a pilot fuel from the wing strakes and reduce vehicle weight, and a researcher (or spaceflight participant). Static and rapid and successive restart capabilities. It has payloads can be positioned behind pilot’s seat, in place flown forty times, including an appearance at the 2008 of the participant, or in the aft faring. The Mark II will EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. have a dorsal-mounted pod with an ogival payload The Lynx suborbital vehicle is based on les- volume of 50 cm diameter and 60 cm length that can sons learned and hardware from these two prior vehi- launch a 100 kg payload on a suborbital mission, or 15 cles. While we will use a new custom-designed air- kg into a 400 km circular 28 degree inclination. Alter- frame, the Lynx engine is very similar in design to the natively, an external payload of 400 kg can be attached X-Racer engine, which has a full test and flight his- to the upper dorsal of the vehicle. tory. All XCOR rocket engines have regenerative cool- This presentation will provide a detailed ing, and all are optimized for maximum reusability and overview of the Lynx vehicle and focus on its specific low maintenance. This leads to a high degree of safety payload capabilities, requirements, and operations. and low operations risk and cost, which are all of prime importance in the commercial suborbital mar- ketplace. XCOR’s Lynx is a two-place manned vehicle with a double-delta wing and twin outboard vertical tails. It is designed to take off and land horizontally from a runway using its retractable/extendable tricycle landing gear. Lynx Mark I will be the first design iteration of this vehicle. Its top speed will be Mach 2.4. Peak altitude will be 61 kilometers (200,000 ft), which will enable views down the West coast to Baja Cali- fornia over to the Grand Canyon, across the Pacific Ocean past the Channel Islands, and up to San Fran- cisco Bay. XCOR expects first flight to occur in early 2011. Figure 1. Lynx Mark I with pod. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 35

INSPIRING MINDS: CREATING AWARENESS FOR NEXT-GENERATION SUBORBITAL SPACEFLIGHT. G Griffin.1, 1Managing Director, Griffin Aerospace Communications, 3101 NASA Parkway, Suite L., Seabrook, TX, 77586, [email protected].

Introduction: The opportunities provided by the target audience(s) and how? For instance, much of the unique microgravity environment of next-generation technical information and industry jargon that makes suborbital vehicles are limitless and have potential sense to the suborbital science community needs to be applications for industries ranging from pharmaceuti- reworded and simplified for various external au- cal and medical equipment to environmental engineer- diences. ing and, of course, the emerging market for space tourism. Although the implications of suborbital space- Implementation: Once the goals, audience and flight are well known within the tight-knit space com- messages are established, it is time to evaluate the op- munity, educating and creating awareness with the portunities available to push out the message utilizing general public is a challenge that has faced the space the right tactics to begin creating strong awareness for industry for decades. A well-planned strategic educa- the value and importance of next-generation suborbital tion and public outreach (EPO) program can yield in- science. With so many tactics available including tradi- creased awareness and support among the general pub- tional media relations, thought leadership campaigns, lic and key constituents– ultimately translating into web/social media, advertising, industry events, white new programs that provide funding opportunities for paper development, grassroots marketing and industry suborbital research. relations, it can be difficult to choose the best avenue to reach the audience. It is important to evaluate each There are key steps to developing a strategic EPO option and again review the established goal to once plan. Griffin Aerospace Communications takes the again answer the question “will this achieve the goal?” approach of “plan your work; work your plan,” which If the answer is yes, then you must evaluate the oppor- includes clearly defining the plan before taking the tunities at your disposal to create the ideal EPO mix. first steps of implementation. Using various space industry client examples, Gwen Griffin will provide a Evaluation: What is success? With any successful general outline and overview of successful EPO pro- EPO campaign, evaluation tactics must be considered grams reaching multiple audiences with a variety of to determine if the plan has been effective or if differ- tactics that can be tailored for use within the next- ent strategies should be implemented or refined. Estab- generation suborbital spaceflight community. lishing ongoing monitoring and evaluation as part of the EPO program which allows you to revise tactics Establish Key Goals and Objectives: While this along the way is critical to the campaigns success. seems like a simple task, this can arguably be the most important step in developing an EPO plan. Setting the goal provides a clear reference point to determine implementation tactics for such a program. The goal should be a guidepost allowing a company or organization to ask “will this achieve the goal?” when evaluating implementation and tactical opportunities.

Define the Audience: Depending on the company or organization, the audience could include fellow scientists, major funding providers, Congress, corpo- rate decision makers, educators or students. Identifying the appropriate primary, secondary and tertiary target audiences allows the development of definitive strategies to target each audience specifically, ensuring that the message is received in the best medium.

Create the Message: The foundation of a well- defined, organized EPO plan is key message development. What information needs to be shared with the 36 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Collisional evolution of many-particle systems in astrophysics Carsten Guttler¨ 1, Jurgen¨ Blum1, Joshua E. Colwell2, Rene´ Weidling1, and Daniel Heißelmann1, 1Institut fur¨ Geophysik und extrater- restrische Physik, TU Braunschweig, Germany, 2Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

Low-velocity collisions play a fundamental role in various astrophysical environments like protoplanetary disks (planet formation) or the Saturnian rings (e.g. dynamics and stability). These collisions are likely to occur at velocities in the cm s−1 range and below, and a satis- factory experimental realization of the lowest velocities is so far not possible even in microgravity environments like a parabolic ﬂight aircraft or a drop tower facility. 5.2. Ergebnisse Kapitel 5. Auswertung Moreover, many-particle effects can play an important role, e.g. for clustering (Miller and Luding [1]), which are ignored when only performing single particle-particle collisions. A perfect environment to perform the desired many-particle collision experiments is under microgravity condition with a microgravity time of few minutes, in which a particle system would be collisionally ‘cooled’ to velocities down to millimeters per second. V=2,3 ms-1

Previous collision experiments

The formation of planets starts with collisions between -1 (sub-)micrometer sized dust particles, which stick and V=3,3 ms grow to larger aggregates. This process has been experimentally studied by Blum et al. [2], who performed a Space Shuttle experiment in which they dispersed

micrometer-sized dust grains to a dense cloud and ob- V=5,1 ms-1 served their evolution. This is an example for a many- particle collision experiment, which showed the efficiency of the initial growth of protoplanetary dust grains into small fractal aggregates consisting of many grains. Abbildung 5.3.: Hochgeschwindigkeitsaufnahmen von Agglomeratstößen. Die Fragmentation Their growth leads to larger, porous dust aggregates, nimmt mit höherer Geschwindigkeit deutlich zu. Die Aufnahmen sind mit einer Bildrate von which still collide but their sticking efficiency rapidly 1000HzFigure aufgezeichnet 1: Collisions worden. of millimeter-sized, porous dust ag- falls, such that various collisional outcomes (i.e. stick- gregates typically lead to bouncing (top) or fragmenta- ing, bouncing, or fragmentation) are possible, depend- tion (bottom), depending on the collision velocity. Cour- ing on collision parameters like mainly their collision tesy: [3, 4]. velocity (see review by Blum and Wurm [5] and refs. therein). Most of the relevant collision experiments were performed at velocities of the order of one meter per sec- like observed at velocities of 0.4 m s−1 [3], which is ond, i.e. bouncing collisions at 0.4 m s−1 (Heißelmann clearly one of the most fundamental questions to under- et al. [3]) or fragmenting collisions at 2 – 5 m s−1 (Lam- stand their growth. 21 mel [4]) Examples are shown in Fig. 1. A new evolution Collisions at similar velocities are also important in model for protoplanetary dust aggregates (Zsom et al. the rings of Saturn: water ice particles in the size range [6]), based on these laboratory experiments compiled to between 1 cm and 10 m collide at velocities of typically a collision model by Guttler¨ et al. [7], clearly identifies a less than 0.5 cm s−1. Here, it is not expected that these lack of experiments at velocities of centimeters per sec- particles stick to each other but bounce inelastically. The ond and below. At these velocities, it is still not clear energy loss in these inelastic collisions strongly influ- whether aggregates stick to each other or just bounce ence the evolution and the stability of Saturn’s rings as Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 37

an efficient process to dynamically ‘cool’ these. Heißel- [2] J. Blum, G. Wurm, S. Kempf, T. Poppe, H. Klahr, mann et al. [8] performed collision experiments between T. Kozasa, M. Rott, T. Henning, J. Dorschner, R. Schrapler,¨ centimeter-sized water ice particles and found that the H. U. Keller, W. J. Markiewicz, I. Mann, B. A. Gustafson, F. Giovane, D. Neuhaus, H. Fechtig, E. Grun,¨ B. Feuer- coefficient of restitution ε = vafter/vbefore can span a wide range from virtually 0 (completely inelastic) up to bacher, H. Kochan, L. Ratke, A. El Goresy, G. Morfill, 0.8 (nearly elastic), being randomly distributed. S. J. Weidenschilling, G. Schwehm, K. Metzler, and W.-H. Ip. Growth and Form of Planetary Seedlings: Results from Moreover, Heißelmann et al. [8] performed a multi- a Microgravity Aggregation Experiment. Physical Review particle experiment in the drop tower in Bremen, Ger- Letters, 85:2426–2429, September 2000. many, that showed the behavior of a system of about 100 [3] D. Heißelmann, H. Fraser, and J. Blum. Experimental glass beads with 1 cm diameter. The particles collided Studies on the Aggregation Properties of Ice and Dust in and lost about 60 % of their collisional energy in each Planet-Forming Regions. In Proceedings of the 58th In- collision, which leads to a mean velocity evolution fol- ternational Astronautical Congress 2007, 2007. IAC-07- lowing Haff’s law, i.e. A2.1.02. 1 [4] Christopher Lammel. Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur v(t) = , Fragmentation von Staubagglomeraten im Zweiteilchen- 1 + (1 − ε)nσt v0 stoß bei mittleren Geschwindigkeiten. Bachelor’s the- where v = v(t = 0) is the initial relative velocity, and sis, Technische Universitat¨ Carolo Wilhelmina zu Braun- 0 schweig, June 2008. n and σ are the number density and the collisional cross [5] J. Blum and G. Wurm. The Growth Mechanisms of Macro- section of the glass spheres. After nine seconds of ex- scopic Bodies in Protoplanetary Disks. Annual Review of periment time, they observed mean velocities as small as Astronomy and Astrophysics, 46:21–56, September 2008. −1 0.4 cm s , but also a strong deviation from the above doi: 10.1146/annurev.astro.46.060407.145152. law, which is most probably the onset of clustering. [6] A. Zsom, C. W. Ormel, C. Guttler,¨ J. Blum, and C. P. Dulle- mond. The outcome of protoplanetary dust growth: peb- Plans for future many-particle collision experiments bles, boulders, or planetesimals? II. Introducing the bouncing barrier. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2009. submitted. We are currently planning a new experiment in which we [7] C. Guttler,¨ J. Blum, A. Zsom, C. W. Ormel, and C. P. plan to observe the evolution of an ensemble of dust ag- Dullemond. The outcome of protoplanetary dust growth: gregates like in the experiment of Heißelmann et al. [8]. pebbles, boulders, or planetesimals? I. Mapping the zoo In contrast to Heißelmann et al., this experiment will be of laboratory collision experiments. Astronomy and Astro- performed onboard a suborbital flight vehicle with 180 physics, 2009. submitted. seconds microgravity duration (see abstract by Colwell, [8] D. Heißelmann, J. Blum, H. J. Fraser, and K. Wolling. Mi- crogravity experiments on the collisional behavior of Sat- Blum & Durda). This has the advantage that we will urnian ring particles. Icarus, 2009. in press. not only observe many more collisions but that we will also be able to observe collisions far below the velocities of Heißelmann et al. Furthermore, this many-particle system will also allow us to observe collective effects (e.g. clustering) which have so far never been studied in dust aggregation experiments. The results of these experiments will directly go into the collision model by Guttler¨ et al. [7] and the evolution simulation of dust aggregates under protoplanetary disk environments (Zsom et al. [6]). Additionally, sounding-rocket investigations of ensembles of centimeter-sized water-ice samples are planned to provide insight into the long-term collisional evolution of dissipative many-body systems like planetary rings.

References [1] S. Miller and S. Luding. Cluster growth in two- and three- dimensional granular gases. Physical Review E, 69(3): 031305, March 2004. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.69.031305. 38 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Experiments in the Lower Ionosphere Enabled by The Next Generation Sub-Orbital Vehicles.

R.A.Heelis Department of Physics, Center for Space Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas.

Sounding rockets traditionally allow study for limited times to regions of the lower ionosphere that would not otherwise be accessible. These experiments have become increasingly more complex consisting of mother-daughter payloads and multiple launches to diagnose a targeted process in the ionosphere. The complexity and cost of these investigations is further exacerbated by the difficulty in recovering and refurbishing the payload. While the next generation of sub-orbital vehicles may not offer the capability to deploy multiple payloads of to conduct multiple launches, they do offer the advantage of carrying a more complex instrument to space and reuse of that instrument in follow-on experiments. Differentially pumped ion mass spectrometers can be used effectively to examine the constituent populations of ions in the mesosphere. These populations may include water clusters and minor constituents requiring high sensitivity and extremely clean systems with a large mass range. In addition the role of charged dust particles should be investigated. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 39

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT FOR HUMAN SPACE VEHICLES - MICRO/PARTIAL-GRAVITY TESTING NEEDS. K. M. Hurlbert1, 1NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, MC: EC1, Houston, Texas, 77058.

Introduction: The Enviromental Conrol and Life [4] Hurlbert, K. M. (1997) The Two-Phase Ex- Support System (ECLSS) is considered critical for all tended Evaluation in Microgravity (TEEM) Flight Ex- human spacecraft. Design validation, performance periment: Description and Overview, proceedings of testing, and certification are significant activities for the 1st Conference on Applications of Thermophysics these systems prior to flight. These can be even more in Microgravity, Space Technology and Applications challenging if the overall system, its components, International Forum. and/or the working fluids behave differently in a micro- [5] Norikane, J. H., Jones, S. B., Steinberg, S. L., or partial-gravity environment. This presentation pro- Levine, H. G., and Or, D. (2003) Effects of Variable vides an overview of recent proposed or developed Gravity on Porous Media Matric Potential and Water flight experiments in support of advancing ECLSS Content Measurements, paper number 034067, ASAE technologies for future spacecraft. The benefits of po- Annual Meeting, St. Joseph, Michigan. tential suborbital flight tests are considered. Recom- mendations for future collaboration are also provided. Example ECLSS Flight Experiments: Provided below are example flight experiments to be discussed, which all exhibit gravity-sensitive traits. This listing represents the minimum content to be included in the presentation; Immobilized Microbe Microgravity Water Processing System (IMMWPS) Flight Experiment – technology demonstration of a microbial water proces- sor for microgravity use, Two-Phase Extended Evaluation in Microgravity (TEEM) – demonstration of a closed-loop, two-phase system for extended on-orbit operations, Water Offset Nutrient Delivery Experimental Re- search (WONDER) – technology demonstration of components for a microgravity vegetable production unit, and International Space Station (ISS) Water Processing Assembly (WPA) KC-135 Testing – testing of sensors to be used on the ISS WPA in Node 3 to ensure water quality. References: The list below represents initial references for the presentation: [1] Hurlbert, K. M. (2001) ALS Flight Experiments – Status and Request for Flights, internal presentation materials, NASA Johnson Space Center. [2] Hurlbert, K. M. (2002) ALS Flight Experiments Program., internal presentation materials, NASA John- son Space Center. [3] Hurlbert, K. M., Pickering, K., Slade, H., and Cyrus, K. (2002) Immobilized Microbe Microgravity Water Processing System (IMMWPS) Flight Experi- ment Integrated Ground Test Program, proceedings of the 32nd International Conference on Environmental Systems, Paper No. 2002-01-2355, San Antonio, Tex- as. 40 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Performing Atmospheric and Ionospheric Science Experiments at the Edge of Space Thomas J. Immel1 1Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California Berkeley (im- [email protected]) The prospect of regularly scheduled visits to the boundary of space suggests an important new opportunity for low-cost investigations to address current questions regarding ionospheric and atmospheric processes. Several possible areas of interest will be discussed, including investigations of atmospheric oxygen density, the ionospheric E-layer, and temperature retrievals in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Suborbital observations lack global coverage, but can provide regular access to a region of space that has always presented difficulties to experimenters interested in the chemistry and coupling of energy and momentum from the middle atmosphere to the ionosphere, essentially to space. An important goal of any such investigation should be to become an integral and unobtrusive part of the ”routine”. The example of commercial airlines not carrying simple GPS receivers capable of making important ionospheric measurements that are currently only made from ground is an example of an outcome that could easily be avoided. As suborbital programmes are nascent, now is the time to identify particular vehicular and operational capabilities that feasable scientific measurements would require, and identify those requirements can be met with little difficulty. Some instrument and observation concepts immediately point to several possible requirements that may pertain to a larger set of measurements than those immediately envisioned. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 41

SEISMIC SHAKING EXPERIMENTS IN MILLIGRAVITY ENVIRONMENTS. N. R. Izenberg, 1Johns Hop- kins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA ([email protected]).

Introduction: Understanding the surface features, seismic signals from craters as small as 300m in di- processes, of low gravity bodies in our solar system are ameter may be able to modify surface regolith to sig- critical to their evolution. Craters on the rocky and icy nificant distances from their rim (Fig. 2). Global ring- planets and moons, and on small bodies are fundamen- ing effects can destabilize regolith on all slopes, while tal tools in determining relative age, and provide geo- lower energy impacts and/or impacts into more frac- logical windows into the subsurface. The cratering tured bodies (i.e. “rubble pile” asteroids with greater process itself is extensively studied, but the effects of interior attenuation) result in more localized seismic moderate to small-scale impact events on low gravity effects. As well, smaller individual effects may aggre- bodies is not well researched. Seismic shaking and gate over time into significant surface modification. reverberation from small impacts causes significant Theoretical modeling also indicates that seismic shak- local mobilization of surface materials, and affects the ing might: contribute to the development of “ponds” apparent age of a small body. In milligravity environ- on 433 Eros [14]; affect the placement and evolution of ments the impact process (or any other induced seismic boulders on Eros’ surface; and affect the evolution of signal) also may transport quantities of surface materi- regolith on other small bodies (e.g. 25143 Itokawa, als for some distance over some time, which may have Phobos, Deimos) and to some extent bodies resolved to effects on potential future robotic and human explora- lower resolution (e.g. 243 Ida and 951 Gaspra [15, tion of small bodies. 16]). Planetary and Spacecraft observations. Recent spacecraft observations [1-4] indicate that seismic shaking due to impact cratering may play a key role in the surface evolution of asteroids. Indeed, such a process could be one of the reasons for the decrease in the spatial density of small craters on asteroid 433 Eros (200m diameter and below) relative to an empirically saturated surface, with an increase in boulder spatial frequency [5-7] (Fig. 1). Seismic shaking may also best explain the removal of craters up to 500 m in diameter in the vicinity of the large (7.5 km) crater Shoemaker on Eros [2], and the observations of surface flow and imbrications seen on Itokawa [4].

Fig. 2 Simple models derived from [9] showing the initial velocity of and maximum flat-surface distance traveled by a regolith particle mobilized by an impact a given distance away on asteroid 433 Eros. Depending on attenuation effects, Fig. 1. Left: Degraded, bouldered terrain on Eros; Right: even small craters can mobilize surfaces multiple crater radii Eros crater with smoothed rim, and evidence of slope failure. away.

The lunar record [8, 9] suggests that seismic shak- Early laboratory shaking experiments [7, 17-19] ing is potentially very important on small bodies. Sub- have demonstrated that small seismic jolts, both indi- stantial seismic signals [2, 10-13] could not only de- vidually and in aggregate, can induce slumping of cra- stroy small craters, but also significantly modify the ter walls, migration of boulders, smoothing of regolith appearance of the entire surface. However, while topography (Fig. 3). Single large jolts may induce spacecraft observations show the record of events from larger scale changes more quickly, and result in sig- ancient to modern, no spacecraft observer has had the nificant horizontal transport of regolith in ballistic tra- capability or opportunity to an impact event and its jectories if the mobilizing acceleration is at an angle to downrange seismic effects in real time. local gravity. Numerical and Simulation. Simple modeling [7] to rigorous numerical simulations [12,13] show that 42 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Fig. 3. Vertical laboratory multiple grain sizes and shapes. A starting “terrain”, seismic shaking sequence initially either a crater-shape or a hill-shape is formed showing slope failures in into the surface by a mold-like cover that is manually model asteroid regolith, raised when the experiment is ready to be executed. terrain smoothing, and The mold/cover will be designed to lock in the closed “boulder” movement. position pre-flight, to be unlatched and opened by the Current laboratory operator in flight. The cover edges and box penetra- simulations of asteroid tions for the opening mechanism will be sealed by gas- regolith processes must kets to permit movement of the mechanism, yet pre- compensate for the fact vent escape of regolith simulant to the outside envi- that Earth gravity is or- ronment. An alternative design for a low vacuum ex- ders of magnitude higher periment box is in preparation. The hand-lifted molt than surface gravity on cover will likely need to be replaced with an automated small bodies. Earlier door-type operation as in the COLLIDE experiments work [7,17,18 attempts [20, 21]. this by recording shaking experiments with a high-speed video camera, slowing high frame rate to scale time down to simulate lower accel- erations. This approach has achieved some success in simulating low gravity effects, but the validity of the scaling of time for gravitational acceleration is unveri- fied. The limits of frame rate in available cameras can approach scaling to around 0.0100 to 0.0025 g at best (1000-4000 frames per second scaled to playback of 10 fps), when surface gravity of bodies the size of 433 Eros is on the order of 0.01g or smaller. Finally, current laboratory simulations must be carried out in air, where air resistance and displacement may affect particle motion of small grains of regolith simulant. Suborbital Experiments (VASE) The scientific goals of a suborbital Variable Angle Seismic Experi- Fig 3. VASE prototype nonvacuum design with in “closed” ment (VASE) would be to determine the behavior of a state with thumper facing the kick plate in the 45° configura- simulated asteroid surface subjected to a seismic im- tion. Camera is mounted to the left wall of the transparent pulse in both simulated and actual microgravity condi- cube. Not shown are lighting brackets, and mounted acceler- tions, and in both air and vacuum. A direct comparison ometers. between near-identical experiments in simulated mi- References: [1] Robinson M.S. et al. (2002) Met. Planet. Sci. 37, crogravity (1-g observations with high speed camera 1651-1684. [2] Thomas P.C. & Robinson M.S. (2005) Nature 436, observations) and actual microgravity (in suborbital 366-369. [3] Fujiwara A. et al., (2006) Science 312, 1330-1334. [4] flight) will provide crucial ties between laboratory Miyamoto H. et al. (2006) LPS XXXVII, #1686. [5] Bottke W.F. simulations and space environments. On-ground ob- (2002) Asteroids III, U of A, Tucson. [6] Chapman C.R. et al. (2002) servations in air and vacuum will determine the fidelity Icarus, 155, 104-118. Izenberg N.R. et al. (2001) Spring AGU of pressurized and vacuum simulations microgravity #P22B-01. [8] Houston W.N. et al. (1973) LPS IV 2425–2435. [9] experiments. Schultz P.H. & Gault D.E, (1975) Moon 12, 159-177. [10] Horz F. & The VASE is a self-contained experiment box, de- Schall R.B. (1981) Icarus 46, 337-353. [11] Greenberg R. et al. signed to be “reloadable” and reusable in both ground (1996) Icarus 120, 106-118. [12] Richardson J.E. et al. (2004) Sci- experiments and sub-orbital flight. The approximately ence 306, 1526-1529. [13] Richardson J.E. et al. (2005) Icarus 179, 2-foot transparent (Lucite) cube is mounted on a metal 325-349. [14 Cheng A.F. et al. (2002) Met. Planet. Sci. 37, 1095- plate, attached to a shake-table on ground, or a “seat”- 1105. [15] Sullivan R. et al. (1996) Icarus 120, 119-139. [16] Carr mount in a flight vehicle. The cube is half-filled with M.H. et al, (1994) Icarus 107, p. 61-71. [17] Izenberg N.R. & Ba- an asteroid regolith simulant (Fig 3). This simulant can rnouin-Jha O.S. (2006) LPS XXXVII #2017. [18] Malanosky S.A. et be a variety of materials from simple beach or play- al. (2007) LPS XXXVIII #1947. [19] Busuttil C. et al. (2008) LPS ground sand, to pebbles, to a more complicated and LIX #1648. [20] Colwell J.E. & Taylor M. (1999) Icarus 148, 241- accurate lunar or other simulated soil, to a mixture of 248. [21] Colwell J.E. (2003) Icarus 164, 188-196. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 43

PRIZES AS A TOOL FOR ENGAGING RESEARCHERS AND STUDENTS. N. Jordan1 and E. B. Wagner2, 1X PRIZE Foundation (5510 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 100, Playa Vista, CA 90094; [email protected]), 2X PRIZE Lab@MIT (77 Massachusetts Ave., #37-219. Cambridge, MA 02139; [email protected]).

Introduction: The mission of the X PRIZE Foun- that might be well adopted by other aerospace entities dation is to bring about radical breakthroughs for the searching for innovation and success across the indus- benefit of humanity. In doing so the organization has try. fostered innovative, high profile competitions that mo- tivate individuals, companies and organizations across all boundaries to solve the grand Challenges that are currently restricting humanity’s progress. To accomplish such innovation, the organization has adopted the concept of Prizes. Incentive Prizes attract outside investment and are a proven instrument for innovation particularly when the path to a solution is unclear. They are most effective where progress is blocked and where market forces, government, and non-profits cannot readily solve a problem. Background: The applicability of incentive prizes to the international aerospace community has been demonstrated for decades, most recently with the successful Ansari X PRIZE for suborbital Spaceflight and the Northrop Grumman X PRIZE Lunar Lander Chal- lenge. Importantly for the research and education mar- kets, recent Lunar Lander winners Armadillo Aero- space and MastenSpace are already in the process of developing their technologies for carrying scientific and other payloads to the “ignoreosphere”, and the $30M Google Lunar X PRIZE remains a substantial carrot for private development of complex space systems, engaging both industrial and university partners. REM Prizes: This paper will describe the ways that Incentive Prizes can be used to attract high quality payloads for suborbital research and education missions (REM). This concept challenges students, young professionals, and entrepreneurs to think creatively about breakthroughs to complex problems, creating opportunities for suborbital research and private investment. We will present a variety of potential future competitions intended to engage participants from middles school through post-graduate studies, as well as professional researchers in both academia and industry. Incentive Prizes and other models of Open Innno- vation may be used to foster both the development of new payload systems, as well as the novel use of existing hardware, software, and data streams. Besides educating within our industry, with this approach we hope to engage other participants by removing the very constraints they find most limiting, and encouraging them to invest every intellectual and financial resource at their command to tackle the challenges offered by suborbital flight. This is a concept 44 LPI Contribution No. 1534

An Agenda for Sensorimotor Research in Sub-Orbital Flight

The excitement of space travel will be open to thousands of people by new commercial sub-orbital operations. Experience with changing g levels during space flight and parabolic flight suggests that sensorimotor disruptions are likely in these travelers, including postural stability, eye movements and motor coordination. We believe overcoming these sensorimotor disruptions will require a framework that delineates how approaches should differ from those applied to orbital flight and between sub-orbital passengers and pilots. For example, while most passengers are interested in maximizing enjoyment and flying only once, pilots are interested in maximizing precision and safety, and fly often. Strategies for overcoming disruptions include sensorimotor adaptation, re-adaptation, pre-adaptation, pharmaceuticals and cognitive training. Approaches should also account for differences in frequency of flights and mission objectives when selecting appropriate strategies.

Sensorimotor adaptation is one strategy for overcoming disruptions. However, for it to be effective in sub-orbital flight with periods of reduced and enhanced gravity lasting less than five minutes, it will have to occur quickly. We have performed experiments on sensorimotor adaptation during parabolic flight, in which we tested subjects over four consecutive days of flying. The reflex we tested, the pitch vestibulo-ocular reflex, took a few days during to overcome an initial disruption. This suggests that sensorimotor adaptation will be important for sub-orbital pilots, and that suborbital passengers may benefit from previous exposure to parabolic flight. This is supported by our previous work on context-specific adaptation, where we found that g-level dependent sensorimotor adaptation was retained for days and possibly months.

To improve comfort and safety during sub-orbital operations, we recommend using parabolic flight to pre-adapt sub-orbital passengers, and we recommend continued research in this area to understand the best timing for these flights, and the optimal set of tasks for passengers to conduct during altered g levels. We also recommend emphasizing recency of experience for sub-orbital pilots.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 45

USING DSMC MODELING OF ROCKET AERODYNAMICS AS A MEASUREMENT AID IN THE MESOSPHERE. S. Knappmiller1, J. Gumbel2, M. Horanyi1, S. Robertson1, and Z. Sternovsky1, 1Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, 2Institute of Meteorology, Stockholm University, Sweden.

The Direct Simulation Monte-Carlo method has been used to find the aerodynamic flow around rocket payloads in the mesosphere. For dust impact detectors and gridded dust collectors the flow near the instruments was calculated. In a separate code, nanoparticles were placed in the calculated flow to determine whether or not the particles would impact the detection or collection surfaces. For electric field booms, the shock compression from the DSMC code was used to find the compression of the ion density in bite-out regions and to find the change in the floating potential of the probe due to the shock. For mass analysis of particles, the flow through an electrostatic mass spectrometer was calculated and the trajectories of nanoparticles were found within the instrument, thus providing a mass calibration. The DSMC code has also been used to design a vent that will act as a vacuum pump and reduce the air density in instruments to a value below the ambient density. 46 LPI Contribution No. 1534

The Key to Our Future Ability to Lead and Compete Christopher Koehler

This country's ability to not only lead, but to also compete is dependant on the quality of our future workforce. This future workforce can be found today in our Nation’s colleges and universities. The quality of this future workforce is directly affected by the type school attended, the grades achieved and, most importantly, the experiences received. Hands-on projects provide the best opportunities for students to apply what they are learning and thus the importance of what they are learning. Tying these hands-on projects to meaningful and real-word projects greatly enhances quality of the engineer or scientist ultimately produced. Nothing both excites and motivates future engineers and scientists than projects that will go to space. Providing access to space today for students and the faculty supporting them, is an essential ingredient to the creating the best engineers and scientists of tomorrow.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 47

The Development of a Novel Infrastructure for Biomedical Monitoring of Space Participants R. Komatireddy 1, S.C. Casey2, M. Wiskerchen3, A. Damle4, M.A. Schmidt5, B. Reiter6 1Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California San Diego, 200 W. Arbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92103 [email protected] 2Universities Space Research Association, NASA MS 211-3, SOFIA, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, [email protected] 3Director - California Space Grant, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering - MS 0411, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0411, [email protected] 4Massachusetts Institute of Technology (C.S. & Mathematics)/CEO, MEDgle 1151 Sonora Court, Suite #2, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, [email protected] 5Sovaris Aerospace, LLC, 2525 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80302; [email protected] 6Sovaris Aerospace, LLC, 2525 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80302; [email protected]

Introduction: ure 2. A working list of potential end users is in- The emergence of commercial spaceflight provides cluded in Figure 3. an unprecedented opportunity to introduce individuals with various medical backgrounds to the spaceflight End Users: We surmise that the end users of biomedi- environment. In contrast to traditional astronauts, cal data span a wide assortment of interested parties Space Participants (SPs) may range from being excep- ranging from individual space participants, associated tionally healthy to having significant preexisting mor- health care professionals, commercial spaceflight or- bidity. Biomedical monitoring of SPs offers a chance ganizations, researchers, and even policy makers. We to both refine medical risk assessment for potential SPs envision each distinct group of end users utilizing our infrastructure to gain access to specific, relevant data as well as advance medical research with regard to subsets based upon their needs. While social network- studying the effects of spaceflight on human physiol- ing, modern data visualization tools, and peer to peer ogy and pathophysiology [1], [2], [3]. Furthermore, networking technology may be priority for individual biomedical monitoring provides a unique test bed for SPs to reflect and review their spaceflight experience, the development of novel physiologic monitoring de- the incorporation of data mining tools that enable effi- vices and other medical technology. cient and powerful analysis of biomedical data may be We report upon the efforts of several working more important for researchers and commercial space groups listed in Table 1 and propose the adoption of providers. scalable software infrastructure designed to interface with an array of monitoring devices. Our approach Software and Hardware Architecture: The software functions as both a raw data archive of SP biomedical architecture will consist of a back-end and front-end data and as a server to specific end users. A modern approach to the archive of raw biomedical SP data system. The back-end server is designed to accept and securely store biomedical data from various hardware should accommodate existing data mining and analysis devices and space vehicle systems. In accordance with tools, peer-to-peer information sharing standards, as standards for clinical medical data storage we plan on well as the incorporation of industry standard data for- utilizing data formats such as the continuing care re- mats for medical information storage. Any adopted cord (CCR) and HL7 terminology when appropriate to approach should ensure capability of SP data with cur- describe disease states, diagnostic findings, and treat- rent electronic medical record keeping standards. ment administered. Additional options for back-end

infrastructure development include leveraging elec- Sources of biomedical information: Our envisioned tronic medical records infrastructure such as Google biomedical database infrastructure is designed to cap- Health, Microsoft Health Vault, and open source per- ture biomedical data from SPs by utilizing an array of sonal health record software. Other options include existing and experimental hardware devices. We make building new systems incorporating novel object- reference to two concepts of data management that our oriented programming methods (such as COOP-ER) infrastructure can support. Horizontal data manage- which, when coupled with a scientific database and ment refers to individual SP biomedical information associated FIND engine such as Omnidex, allow for collected from their preexisting health record, progres- anomaly and pattern detection within high dimensional sion through training, spaceflight, and post flight datasets. The front-end infrastructure, an interface phases as shown in Figure 1. Vertical data manage- between the raw data and the end user, can be custom- ment refers to serving the collective biomedical data ized to utilize advanced search, filtering, data mining, from several SPs to distinct end users as shown in Fig- 48 LPI Contribution No. 1534

data visualization, and peer to peer networking technology depending upon the specific end user.

Table 1:

Working Groups for Space Participant Biomedical Data Management: Key Focus Areas

Interface to Space Participants: Ownership of Bio- medical Data, Privacy, HIPAA Compliance

Interface with the Research Community: Needs of

Specific Researchers, Core Physiologic Parameters Figure 2: Vertical Data Management Conceptual Interfaces

Interface to Commercial Spaceflight Providers: Feedback and Integration with Space Vehicle Hard- ware, Certification and Testing

Hardware Infrastructure: Integration with Existing Biomedical Devices, Conceptual Interfaces

Software Infrastructure: Compatibility with Existing Data Archives, Leveraging Modern Health Record Technology, Development of a Real Time Data Acqui- sition Standard, Analytis, Graphical User Interface Development Figure 3: Initial List of Proposed End Users for Bio- medical Data

References: [1] Cermack. Monitoring and telemedicine support in remote environments and in human space flight. British journal of anaesthesia (2006) vol. 97. [2] Guidance for Medical Screening of Commer- cial Aerospace Passengers. Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Aerospace Medicine, Washington, D.C. 2006. Technical Report No. DOT- FAA-AM-06-1. [3] Medical Safety and Liability Issues for Short- Duration Commercial Orbital Space Flights, January 2009. International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), 6 Figure 1. Horizontal Data Management rue Galilee, BP 1268-16, 75766 Paris Cedex 16, France.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 49

NEXT GENERATION SUBORBITAL ACTIVITIES: ASSESSMENT OF A COMMERCIAL STEPPING STONE. D. I. Lackner1, O.M. Al-Midani2, 1ALPS Ventures, Ltd., 1177 California St #533, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA, [email protected], 2ALPS Ventures, Ltd., 3 Wigmore Place, Cavendish Square, London, W1U 2LN, UK, [email protected].

Introduction: Business plans for the commercial be performed rapidly and cost effectively. The elon- use of space are numerous, but only a handful have gated periods of microgravity that would become received meaningful investments – and fewer market available through some suborbital scenarios will allow validated. Without logical stepping stones of ascend- further inspection of largely abandoned microgravity ing difficulty – and commercial success – the busi- manufacturing techniques like thin film deposition. nesses that may emerge from suborbital research will Just as likely and important, certain areas will manifest remain an untouchable prospect for all but the most different levels of success, as is the case already with risk-prone angel investors. electrophoresis, which showed promise during Interna- Changing Risk Structure: Commerce in any re- tional Space Station (ISS) testing, but was eclipsed by gime is characterized by two types of risk to be miti- investments in terrestrial techniques. A necessary gated: technical and market. If next generation subor- pruning process will validate some winners and ex- bital activities reach a critical volume of frequent clude losers. The application space will thus mature at flights, the risk/reward ratio will reach an inflection a faster rate, with more data to support tangible direc- point. With a growing set of underlying data, the fi- tions for further funding. nancial world can address suborbital endeavors as Shift to Service-Based Models: NASA has been forecastable, investable opportunities – progressing the main player – an overwhelming monopoly player – from the buds planted by today’s small cadre of specu- in this industry. But that is about to change with lators. NASA looking to procure turnkey services from com- Non-monetary returns on investment are realizable mercial vendors as one of many clients. Government in the early phases of suborbital flight. The quick turn- acquisition of complex systems from prime contractors around, hands-dirty, low cost approach that will be still survives, but actions like the RFP for Commercial enabled is likely to lead to novel experimentation, in- Resupply Service to the space station are a strong indi- creased risk-taking, and participation by industries cator of changing tides. Another example is the Sabat- formerly uninterested in the microgravity environment. ier water production system being deployed to ISS. Analogous Ecosystems: The struggle to identify This shift to service-based models portends an increas- probable business models has been preceded by the ing government role as guaranteed customer, which search for a useful analogy to the current state of the will greatly enhance the ability of business ventures to space enterprise. Whether it is best represented by the take market risks, provide insurance to investors, and railroad systems, early airmail carriers, or the competi- promote entrepreneurship the way that early federal tion to decipher the east west position (longitude) of a contracts supported the aviation industry. ship at sea matters not. What each of these compari- Conclusion: Simple, reliable services competitive sons is actually looking for is a representation of an on cost, but dense with usefulness provided to multiple ecosystem with all the right parts to stimulate an indus- segments of buyers will alter the suborbital market. try. That ecosystem has triggers necessary for each Next generation suborbital research is a logical step- part of the value chain, including but not limited to: ping stone to a much larger pool of investment options entrepreneurs, engineers, investors, service providers, in the nascent entrepreneurial space industry because it users, customers, government stakeholders, and even offers: (a) the flexibility to serve as a portal to an ex- celebrity advocates. tremely wide array of microgravity research, even new Growth of the application space. Next generation ideas like “citizen science” using iPhones as research suborbital research opportunities are materializing as a platforms, (b) the altered perception of access that ac- result of anticipated tourist revenue. These two appli- companies low cost, quick answers, and frequent re- cations are examples of complementary activities that peatability. With increased suborbital activities come are likely to foster each other’s expansion. Operational reduced risk, and a broader investor base. experience will create a beneficial learning curve, thus reducing recurring costs. Tourists will be willing in many cases to act as scientists. New industrial players are more likely to perceive the benefits of a crystallog- raphy experiment, for example, when innovation can 50 LPI Contribution No. 1534

New Shepard Vehicle for Research and Education Missions G. Lai, Blue Origins LLC

Program Overview

Blue Origin is developing New Shepard, a rocket-propelled vehicle designed to routinely fly multiple astronauts into suborbital space at competitive prices. In addition to providing the public with opportunities to experience spaceflight, New Shepard will also provide frequent opportunities for researchers to fly experiments into space and a microgravity environment.

Mission

The New Shepard vehicle will consist of a pressurized Crew Capsule (CC) carrying experiments and astronauts atop a reliable Propulsion Module (PM). Flights will take place from Blue Origin's own launch site, which is already operating in West Texas. New Shepard will take-off vertically and accelerate for approximately two and a half minutes before shutting off its rocket engines and coasting into space. The vehicle will carry rocket motors enabling the Crew Capsule to escape from the PM in the event of a serious anomaly during launch. In space, the Crew Capsule will separate from the PM and the two will reenter and land separately for re-use. The Crew Capsule will land softly under a parachute at the launch site. Astronauts and experiments will experience no more than 6 g acceleration into their seats and a 1.5 g lateral acceleration during a typical flight. High-quality microgravity environments (<10-3 g) will be achieved for durations of 3 or more minutes, depending on the mission trajectory.

Experiment Accommodations

Blue Origin is soliciting input from investigators to help design research astronaut and experiment accommodations. Researchers will have the opportunity to provide their own racks to mount into the vehicle (subject to a safety review), or use standard racks and services to mount their experiments. Flight experiments may be autonomous, remotely operated, or operated manually by an accompanying researcher provided by the customer or by Blue Origin. The tables below show some of the preliminary accommodations and standard services Blue Origin anticipates will be available, along with a partial list of the types of investigations that can be performed.

Accommodation Description Types of Example Applications Investigations 3 or more positions to be used by Capacity astronauts or experiment racks Atmospheric science Earth Remote Sensing observations Experiment Mass 120 kg available per position (including Atmospheric sampling, In-Situ Science Allocation rack) Magnetospheric measurements Windows One per position Deployables Under study Power 28 VDC provided Physiology, Gravitational In-Cabin Science Recorded voice communications with biology, Microgravity physics In-Flight crew and ground; recorded low-data rate Communications Instrument Test/ Gain flight experience link for experiment telemetry and control Demonstrations Raise TRL levels Experiment data storage provided for post- LIDAR, Coordinated operations Data Recording flight download with synchronized Active Experiments with White Sands Missile Range trajectory parameter measurements launches Pointing Accuracy +/- 5° per each of 3-axes during coast Turning Capability Available

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 51

Social Networking Planetary Science: How to Bring the Public Along on Suborbital Flights

Emily Lakdawalla The Planetary Society [email protected]

Social networks provide new ways to interact with, and excite, the public about science and technology. In the past, information has been transmitted to the public through formal processes like occasional press releases, which may (or may not!) be digested into news articles for a mass audience, or through articles in special-interest publications. Now, information about projects can be published to the Web where it may be picked up, discussed, and disseminated by members of special-interest forums or Facebook users, while rapidly-changing events such as launches become the topics of discussion on Twitter. These media are rapidly eroding the boundaries between traditionally separate groups like mission scientists and the general public. By participating directly in online discussions, scientists and engineers on space missions have elevated the quality of online conversation about space exploration and significantly increased the sense of involvement with space exploration among members of the interested public. In return, well-informed and creative members of the public serve as unpaid public information officers within their own communities, and have even shown a capacity for generating good ideas that can feed back into missions.

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Airborne Astronomy: Launching Astronomers into the Stratosphere Dan Lester, University of Texas, Next-Gen Suborbital Researchers Conference

Sending scientists into the sky to do what could otherwise only be done from space has a long and productive history in NASA’s airborne astronomy program. For several decades, this program has provided hands-on real-time experience to space scientists and provided a fertile training ground for new generations of space science instrumentalists, as well as a test-bed for astronomical instrument technologies that would later be used in space. In addition, it has been a successful asset in STEM educational outreach. All of these functions are key for next generation suborbital work and the expeditionary spirit that it entails. Lessons from the LearJet Observatory (LJO), the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which is just coming on line, may well pertain to these new directions in suborbital science and technology that would put humans where the action is. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 53

Ultraviolet Astronomy with the X-15 Rocket Research Aircraft: Lessons Learned for Next-Generation Suborbital Vehicles

C. F. Lillie1, A. D. Code2, M. Burkhead2, L. R. Doherty2 Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Redondo Beach, CA 90278 2The University of Wisconsin at Madison, WI 53706

In the early 1960’s , in response to a proposal from Professor Arthur Code at the University of Wisconsin, the X-i5-1 Rocket Research Airplane[1] made several flights to demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining observations of celestial objects in the ultraviolet spectral region. In this paper we describe the modifications made to the X-15 to enable these observations, the instruments flown, and the results of these observations. The lessons learned from these flights, and their application to flights with the next-generation of suborbital vehicles will also be discussed.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15 54 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Atmospheric Science Payloads for Suborbital Flights. C. Lockowandt and S Grahn, Swedish Space Corporation, Solna strandväg 86, 17104 Solna, Sweden, [email protected], [email protected]

Introduction: The upcoming suborbital flights will awaiting the correct scientific conditions. Even so, the offer a new possibility to perform experiments at time-of-flight needed to reach the appropriate altitude an altitude around 100 km and in microgravity for ap- may still be such that the phenomena of interest has proximately 3 minutes. The new concept also offers vanished by the time the rocket reaches its target posi- the possibility to repetitive flights, perhaps with two tion in space. flights per day. The complexity of the experiment payloads could be compared with facilities used on parabolic flights and sounding rockets. Swedish Space Corporation is developing and operating experiment payloads for parabolic flights and sounding rockets since 30 years.

Atmospheric studies Atmospheric physics studies from suborbital vehicles are nowadays often performed by optical means. Even the local environment is sampled by directing a beam of light (broadband or narrowband spectrum) into a volume outside the bow shock of the vehicle. A photometer or spectrometer on the vehicle then detects the response from the illuminated volume. In this way disturbing effects from the vehicle itself, including the inevitable out gassing from the rocket motor, can be avoided. Similar methods and precautions need to be taken when using piloted suborbital vehicles for atmospheric physics. The attitude of the vehicle needs to be controlled during the exoatmospheric portion of the flight to point the optical instruments in the appropriate direction. These optical methods are often sensitive to sunlight or moonlight. Therefore measurements need to be taken during the night when the Moon is below the horizon. Aurora, if not the objective of the experiment, also needs to be absent. Mass spectrometers have successfully been flown on sounding rockets for atmospheric compositions studies and they are a good candidate to fly on piloted suborbital vehicles and are not as sensitive to illumination conditions as purely optical methods. However, mass spectrometers must still be protected from out gassing from the vehicle and be pointed along the direction of flight. Synoptic atmospheric measurements at several places around the world will by definition require that the piloted suborbital vehicle can operate in all kinds of illumination conditions: night, day and twilight.

Studying short-lived phenomena in near-earth space Using piloted suborbital vehicles for investigating very short-lived phenomena in the near-earth environment may present new challenges. Very often sounding rockets studying ionospheric or magnetosopheric phenomena are held in readiness for long periods Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 55

Microgravity Science Payloads for Suborbital Flights. C. Lockowandt and S Grahn, Swedish Space Corporation, Solna strandväg 86, 17104 Solna, Sweden, [email protected], [email protected]

Introduction: The upcoming suborbital flights will offer a new possibility to perform experiments at an altitude around 100 km and in microgravity for approximately 3 minutes. The new concept also offers the possibility to repetitive flights, perhaps with two flights per day. The complexity of the experiment payloads could be compared with facilities used on parabolic flights and sounding rockets. Swedish Space Corporation is developing and operating experiment payloads for parabolic flights and sounding rockets since 30 years.

Microgravity experiments Microgravity experiments that could be flown on piloted suborbital vehicles could be similar to those flown on sounding rockets and parabolic flights. For the flight sequence perhaps two flights per day may be envisaged. Also, an accompanying operator onboard Figure 1: Experiment module developed and flown will be subjected to high physical stress (up to 4 g ac- on sounding rocket (MASER 11 May 2008 from celeration) immediately prior to entering microgravity Esrange) by SSC. Experiment by Dr T Podgorski and starting the experiment. An operator will also oc- (CNRS, cupy valuable space that could be used for more expe- Grenoble, France) investigating blood cells flow mo- riments. It is therefore probably prudent to adopt tion in microgravity. some of the methods used in sounding rockets where "telescience" has been used even during short sixmi- nute flights. The experiment often has a built-in sequence that its onboard computer controls, but tele- command intervention from the ground is possible. The scientist on the ground watches the process via a television link and can modify the performance of the experiment. For a microgravity experiment on a piloted suborbital vehicle there could possibly be three alternative control methods: pre-programmed, by intervention through the onboard operator or from the ground. It is probably helpful for the onboard operator to at least get assistance from specialists the ground who should be able to watch the progress of the experiment via telemetry and/or a video link. Some microgravity experiments could be flown as self-contained experiments that do not require an accompanying operator. Actually, such experiments re- semble the Get-Away-Special payloads flown on the Figure 2: Pore-formation experiment flown in Shuttle and also the 60-second flights in microgravity NASA F-104 jet at Dryden Flight Research Facility offered by NASA in the 1980's. Experiments were February 1982. Experiment by Dr Hamid Shahani then placed in the back seat of a NASA Starfighter jet Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. flying out of Edwards AFB in California, see figure 2. Experiment developed by SSC. Left to right: S Wallin (SSC), S Ishmael (NASA), V Horton (NASA), H Shaha- ni (KTH). 56 LPI Contribution No. 1534

The Canadian/Norwegian Student Sounding Rocket Program (CaNoRock)

I.R. Mann, D. J. Knudsen, K. A. McWilliams, K. Dahle, J. Moen, E.V Thrane, A Hansen

The Canadian-Norwegian Student Sounding Rocket (CaNoRock) program represents a collaboration between the Canadian Universities of Alberta, Calgary and Saskatchewan and the University of Olso, the Andøya Rocket Range and the Norwegian Centre for Space-related Education (NAROM). CaNoRock is proposed as a ten-year program which targets the training of undergraduate and graduate students in experimental space science, as well as the flight of research sounding rockets to study magnetosphere-ionosphere- atmosphere electrodynamics, including the generation of the aurora. The main parts of the proposed program comprise annual student sounding rockets from Andøya Rocket Range in Norway and a smaller number of scientific sounding rockets. The scientific rockets will provide research opportunities for active scientists from Canada, Norway and other countries but also opportunities for students from at least, and as a minimum Canada and Norway with a major focus on their training in campaign preparations, launch criteria decisions, payload integration, and data analysis. The proposed program will include university studies in physics, engineering and electronics as well as “hands on” instrument development, payload building and sounding rocket launches. The first four undergraduate students from Canada participated in the first CaNoRock student sounding rocket summer school in Andoya in November 2009; the same summer school also being used as a test of a new miniaturised magnetometer payload developed by a graduate from the University of Alberta. The proposed CaNoRock program is aimed to serve as a basis for a 10 year bilateral student sounding rocket program between Canada and Norway targeting the motivation of students to join space activities and acquire enhanced knowledge in physics, engineering and electronics for sounding rockets and stratospheric balloons. In the future the program may also include working with other scientific platforms such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) which is a part of the business at Andøya Rocket Range. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 57

THE CASE FOR HUMAN-TENDED SUBORBITAL PARTICLE-AGGREGATION EXPERIMENTS. J. R. Marshall1 and G. Delory2, 1SETI Institute, 515 N. Whisman Rd. Mountain View, CA 94043, [email protected], 2Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley, CA 94720, [email protected].

It is planned to conduct suborbital particle- Specifically, the tests would include cases involving aggregation experiments as a follow up to Space granular materials with 1) no electrostatic poles, 2) Shuttle USML-1 and USML-2 activities. monopoles only, 3) monopole-dipole mix, and 4) Electrostatic particle aggregation is a key process in dipoles only. This series of tests rigorously isolates the formation of planets, the behavior of impact palls the respective roles of monopolar and dipolar and volcanic eruption plumes, the interaction of aggregation forces in particulate clouds. Additionally, particulates in planetary rings, the behavior of aeolian a complementary series of force-spectrum tests dust clouds on Earth and Mars, and the formation of would be conducted to separate the respective roles organic compounds in Titan’s atmosphere. USML of electrostatic and mechanical (ballistic) forces in a experiments showed that electrostatic dipoles are a dynamically active particulate cloud. Tests would strong influence on particle aggregation, not include 1) no electrostatic forces, 2) no (effective) heretofore suspected. The discovery of complex inertia/momentum using hollow glass spheres, and 3) aggregate structures (in the USML data) through no (effective) electrostatics or inertia/momentum image processing techniques not available at the time using metal-plated hollow spheres. In combination, of the USML flights has reinvigorated our interest in these experiments provide controls and separate all the aggregation process. The USML hardware (Fig. the force variables in an active particulate cloud. 1) is still fully functional and would be employed in Clearly, the scope of this test matrix needs to involve a series of flights, but each test would be brief and simple to execute. This requirement is not met by cumbersome Space Shuttle or Space Station programs, nor is it met by zero-gravity aircraft flights or drop towers in terms of reduced-gravity duration. It is matched, however, by the possibility of rapid turnaround commercial suborbital flights involving several minutes of weightless conditions. Suborbital flights offer the opportunity to conduct experiments with a human in the loop. The advantages are two-fold. Firstly, they remove the necessity to automate the experimental setup. For

relatively simple particle aggregation experiments being planned, the cost and complexity of automation can easily be an order of magnitude greater than the experiment itself. Tasks such as detecting zero gravity, pressurizing and activating sequenced pneumatic systems, and mechanically agitating the test modules, are non-trivial to accomplish automatically. Such tasks, however, are quite trivial

for a human operator. Figure 1: USML hardware available for Secondly, a human in the loop enables real-time aggregation experiments. The detachable module is 5 x 5 x 5 cm. Lower image shows typical electrostatic adjustments to experimental procedures. Via uplink chain structures generated in USML experiments commands with USML, the astronauts were able to (width of field = 1 cm). perform unscheduled variants to test procedures, and it was learned from this experience that direct human suborbital flights. It weighs <1 kg and requires no observation was important in determining the mechanical or electrical interfaces with the outcome of the experiments. Such real-time uplinks spacecraft. A choice of eight plug-in experiment might not be feasible with suborbital flights, but modules is available. USML nevertheless demonstrated how the presence We plan to use this or similar apparatus to of an interactive human operator can vastly improve investigate “pure” end-member states with regard to the outcome of an experiment when curiosity and polarized interparticle forces in a particulate cloud. flexibility are introduced as experimental variables.

58 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Beginning of a Student Experimental Space Science High Altitude Balloon Program at University of Alberta M. L. P. Mazzino, D. Miles, T. Wood, J. Rae, K. Murphy, I. R. Mann University of Alberta, Canada

Small payload high altitude balloon programs provide excellent opportunities to involve students in end-to-end training in the experimental space science. This can encompass grant proposal writing, planning and design, construction, calibration, integration testing, launch, data analysis, and publication of results, while at the same time generating high- quality scientific results. Since most large Space Environment programs extend longer than university degrees, students are often never exposed to the opportunity of learning valuable, practical experience related to the development of a complete mission. Therefore, this type of program is essential in the education of future experimental space scientists. In this presentation, we will share our efforts to develop such program at the University of Alberta, which is currently in its initial stage. In particular, we will present details on the planning of the logistic of launching, tracking and recovering latex sounding balloons at low cost, as well as the design and manufacture of low weight instruments that would measure magnetic field, plasma and energetic particle precipitation data at high altitudes.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 59

SCIENCE WHEN FLIGHT RATE AND TURN TIME DON’T MATTER. Michael Mealling, Masten Space Systems.

Introduction: Masten Space System’s line of suborbital vehicles is engineered to minimize operational costs and support high flight rates. Depending on payload integration times it will be possible to fly multiple times in one day every day. This greatly expands the range of techniques and processes available to a scientist. Comprehensive survey based datasets. High flight rates and low per-flight costs allow measurements of changing phenomenon over long periods of time. Flights can happen every day at a certain time (high automobile traffic periods, day/night change, etc) or can take advantage of daily conditions (weather phenomenon in the area, upper atmospheric effects, solar events, etc) over a longer period of time. Increased data creates increased certainty in the outcome. Targets of Opportunity. Fast vehicle integration and prep times allow for atmospheric and astronomical observations of fleating events such as hurricanes, su- pernova, and gamma ray bursts. “What If” Science. With access to the environment of space costing just a few thousand of dollars it is possible to create programs where initial hypothesis or systems can be tested quickly and easily. Instead of lengthy analysis to determine if a flight is necessary the research can simply fly a payload to find out the answer. Instead of a space flight coming at the end of the research process it can be done much earlier and more often. Additional Information: For more information please see http://masten-space.com or send email to Michael Mealling at [email protected] 60 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Using the Shuttle, MIR and ISS for Operating Micro-Gravity Engineering Research Laboratories David Miller

Prof. Miller has developed an extensive set of dynamics and controls (D&C) technology research laboratories on the Shuttle (MODE STS-40, 48, 62; MACE STS-67), MIR and ISS (MACE Expeditions-1 & 2 and SPHERES Expeditions 13 & beyond). Exploiting the long-duration micro-gravity environment that these carriers provide has presented challenges in creating the attributes of a research laboratory while simultaneously satisfying the unique safety and operational constraints of such carriers. This talk will discuss the design and operation of these laboratories as well as the research objectives and results. This sequence of laboratories is a pathfinder for one possible mode of technology research on ISS.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 61

ZERORobotics: a Student Competition Aboard the International Space Station

David W. Miller, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

As the International Space Station nears completion, it has gained importance by becoming a U.S. National Laboratory. ISS stands on the brink of having a substantial positive effect on the entire country through its new status, and education will play a major role in achieving the positive effect. The SPHERES program, led by MIT and Aurora Flight Sciences and supported by DoD DARPA/STP and NASA, has provided dozens of students unprecedented levels of access to microgravity for experimentation and analysis at the undergraduate and graduate levels. However, dozens is a very small number for a National Laboratory. “ZERO‐Robotics” is envisioned as a robotics competition that will open the world‐class research facilities on the International Space Station (ISS), specifically through SPHERES, to hundreds (potentially thousands) of students. By making the benefits and resources of the space program tangible to the students, it will inspire the future scientists and engineers, particularly to lead them back to working in the space program. In this way students, starting at the high school age group, will view working in space as “normal”, and will grow up pushing the limits of space exploration, engineering, and development. Further, ZERO‐Robotics also builds critical engineering skills for students, such as problem solving, design thought process, operations training, team work, and presentation skills.

The proposed program is aimed at high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, with age appropriate tasks. There are three main phases of ZERO‐ Robotics. Phase 1 is a software design competition that allows students to have their algorithms run in the microgravity environment on the SPHERES formation flight testbed aboard the ISS. Phase 2 is a hardware design competition that enables students the opportunity to design enhancements that use or add to the SPHERES satellites to accomplish complex tasks not possible with current hardware. By operating in the ISS, with SPHERES, the design of this hardware requires substantial engineering skills but is low risk. Phase 3 opens up the SPHERES program to by creating an open solicitation for unique ideas on an ongoing basis. All phases expose students to the challenges faced in the aerospace field, in a fun and safe learning environment.

Phase 1 ‐ Software Design. This first phase is proposed to kick‐start the ZERO‐ Robotics program by providing both high school and college students the opportunity to develop algorithms for SPHERES in the near future. Within a few months, the competition could have hundreds of students working on the design of software to accomplish complex tasks in space, such as docking, assembly, and formation flight. This first phase is low lead time because the SPHERES testbed is already operating successfully in the ISS. In the competition each team must complete a set of pre‐determined tasks on which they are measured for performance. Tasks are age appropriate: high schools will have mission level tasks (determine the sequence of maneuvers), while college students’ tasks may focus on controls and optimization. During all phases the students will be challenged not only 62 LPI Contribution No. 1534

with programming, but also with the development of documentation and presentations to add to their engineering communications skills. In all cases, the students will have to learn and practice successful teamwork skills as there will be minimum team size requirements. Four steps are proposed for the competition in this Phase, including proposal submission, algorithm simulation, ground testing on the MIT flat floor facility, and, for top teams, flight testing.

In this final step, the selected teams modify their algorithms for implementation in space. Tests are integrated and packaged to be run on ISS. This step includes at least one ISS test session, with live feed of the crew executing the tests. Students will have the opportunity to view their tests run in real‐time. Data and telemetry will be downlinked to them a few days after the event so that they can perform data analysis and submit a final report.

Phase 2: Hardware Design. The goal of the second phase is to immerse students, including high school teens, in the complexities of developing space hardware. The second phase is based strongly on the successful “FIRST Robotics” competition (see sidebar). The concept of Phase 2 is based on making a comprehensive kit of components available to the teams; it is to be previously approved to operate safely aboard the ISS as an expansion of the SPHERES facilities. Students will write procedures for crew to assemble their satellite on orbit.

Phase 3: Ongoing Collegiate Competition. Once the ZERO Robotics program infrastructure is well established, the next goal will be to create an ongoing “open solicitation” for ideas to investigate unique robotics problems aboard the International Space Station. This outreach would be primarily geared at undergraduate collegiate teams (but possible other levels too) who wish to demonstrate their own robotics research using SPHERES. On regular intervals (multiple times a year), the team will evaluate the submitted proposals and choose a winner to demonstrate their unique research aboard the ISS. This will create a constant outreach to students, utilizing the Station as a National resource for education and space‐robotics research.

Summary. In summary, ZERO‐Robotics looks forward to leverage on three existing highly successful programs: the International Space Station National Laboratory, SPHERES, and FIRST, to create a unique opportunity to expose students to space flight experience very early in their educational career. By exposing students early on to the challenges of the space program, these students are better trained to solve these problems as they enter the workforce. By making this a fun learning experience, these students are more likely to continue to pursue math, science, and engineering as a career. The first phase, software development, can be started in the near future. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 63

Flow Boiling for Thermal Management in Microgravity and Reduced Gravity Space Systems. I. Mudawar1, 1Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907

Significance: Advisory panels, such as at the 2004 fore they coalesce into an undesirable insulating vapor “Workshop on Critical Issues in Microgravity Fluids, blanket. Thus, the flow also constantly replenishes the Transport, and Reaction Processes in Advanced Hu- hot wall with new liquid. man Support Technology” recommend increased ex- It is simple to anticipate that a desire for minimal perimentation in low- and micro-gravity flow boiling power expended on pumping will drive designers to- physics and systems. wards minimizing the liquid flow velocity in practical A plan for thermal systems and phase change proc- spaceflight boiling systems. Thus, the minimum liquid esses is based on how the continuing need for im- velocity which can adequately increase CHF and sup- proved energy-to-mass ratios suggests replacing pre- press detrimental effects of reduced gravity is therefore sent single-phase operations with two-phase systems. sought in low-gravity experiments. Future design of important thermal subsystems involves complex multiphase fluid flow and transport Future Possibilities: It is anticipated that the ex- issues. Full understanding of these multiphase trans- perience gained from zero-gravity CHF experiments at port phenomena associated with operation of thermal Purdue (Fig. 1) can be applied to reduce experiment and phase change subsystems in microgravity is size so as to fit a number of the soon-to-be available needed for both the design and the safe and efficient commercial suborbital spacecraft. While a 5-second operation of phase-change heat transfer systems in stabilization period has been achieved in parabolic space. flights, the much longer duration sub-orbital rocket The recommended approach for the above goal is flights will enable more creative research and more to develop phenomenological understanding, accumu- complete systems development. Important transient late empirical data, develop empirical correlations, phenomena, such as start-up and shut-down in zero- theoretical models and scaling laws for two-phase flow gravity, can be explored during the rocket flights. If in micro- and macro-geometries, boiling and conden- shared research flights become as inexpensive as some sation heat transfer, phase-distribution and phase- are projecting them to be, numerous additional geome- transition phenomena, and stability criteria for two- tries, flow characteristics, and similar would become phase heat transfer loops in microgravity. affordable to address. The path from research to practical spaceflight systems will be shortened by more Motivation: Reduced gravity flow boiling heat frequent access to low-gravity testing time. transfer and critical heat flux data and models are all four virtually nonexistent. There is a dire need for References: such data to be acquired and for low-g boiling systems [1] NASA/TM-2004-212940: Workshop on Criti- experience to be accumulated. cal Issues in Microgravity Fluids, Transport, and Reac- To understand the motivation, consider that phase tion Processes in Advanced Human Support Technol- change cooling is desirable in microgravity and re- ogy. duced gravity space electronics because of its ability to enhance cooling performance and reduce weight of cooling hardware. The critical heat flux (CHF) is the key design parameter for heat-flux-controlled electronic devices. Thus, an ability to predict CHF is of paramount importance to both safety and reliability of two-phase systems. Yet, the vast majority of reduced-gravity boiling studies have, and even now remain, focused on im- practical pool boiling rather than the more-practical flow boiling. This has led to conflicting recommendations concerning viability of pool boiling in microgravity but flow boiling remains as the proven method for enhancing CHF relative to pool boiling in 1-g. Specifically, the bulk liquid motion increases CHF by flushing vapor bubbles away from the heated wall be- 64 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Figure 1. The Purdue “Flow-Boiling Critical Heat Flux in Microgravity” experiment for parabolic aircraft flights.

FC-72, U = 1.40 m/s

1.8ge 3/8 ge Zero ge (Mars)

Figure 2. Example images of flow boiling during parabolic aircraft flight testing. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 65

The SOAREX Sub-Orbital Flight Series M.Murbach

Over the past several years, the NASA Ames Research Center has conducted a series of experimental sub-orbital sounding rocket flights called SOAREX (Sub- Orbital Aerodynamic Re-entry Experiments) . These flights were conducted over land and water test ranges, typically with a variety of means of data collection. Ejection techniques included the forward, rearward and radial direction with up to 11 ejected experiments. Individual flight experiments have included the testing of hypersonic decelerator designs, proto-type waverider concepts, and advanced Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) systems for future planetary missions. The most recent flight was SOAREX-7 and was conducted from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility during May, 2009. 66 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Fabrication in Microgravity Using “Wet Processes” M.N . Nabavi, Imperial College of London and Royal College of Art (36 Clissold Rd. Toronto, ON, Canada. M8Z 4T5. [email protected])

This research explores the possibility of lidifying inflatables using fast cure epoxy using “wet processes” to produce objects resins and pouring processes over the sur- in microgravity that are impossible or ex- face of the membrane. tremely difficult to produce here on Earth. This research outlines a number of produc- Taking weightlessness as an opportunity, tion techniques that would benefit from and focusing on liquids as materials that microgravity, discusses the feasibility of are strongly affected by microgravity, executing them in weightlessness and out- computer simulations were executed to lines the potential applications in future analyze the behavior of fluids and the way scenarios. Prospective utilization of the they interact with other objects (i.e. findings might vary from architecture to moulds, membranes, etc). product scale. While the membrane rigidi- zation could favor the production of large- With increasing number of space travelers scale structures for future setllers, the every year, there will be a higher demand blowing process can be applied to fabrica- for facilities and services that would action of products and tools. commodate the future travelers. This not only brings challenge for the private sector References: in facilitating them, but also creates a lot [1] C.L.Stong (2003) Blowing Plastic Bubbles. Sci- entific American’s: The Amateur Scientist of opportunities for researchers, engineers, [2] S.Jessen, E. Choi. (2004) Development Of A craftsmen and people in many other areas Space Manufacturing Facility for IN-SITU Fabrication to question and examine their work in a of Large Structures. IAC.06-D3.2. new environment. [3] Z. Zhang (1998) New Produt Development Us- ing Experimental Design. University of Groningen Benefiting from some of the physical Grauate School Research Institute System Organization properties of the liquids in microgravity such as surface tension and mixing properties, G° pouring and blowing processes were tested using resins that solidify relatively quickly. G° blow molding was suggested in order to produce lightweight structures in various scales. The result demonstrated potentials for production of porous volumes with some degree of randomization in the distribution of air pockets.

The outcome of this research resulted in generating methods to produce low-weight Figure 1 Blowing inside a sphere of resin in micro- structures using blow-moulding, and so- gravity. What could be the future’s space sourvenir? Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 67

Annular /Stratified Low-Gravity Internal Condensing Flows in Millimeter to Micrometer Scale Ducts

Amitabh NARAIN (Email: [email protected]), Soumya MITRA, Shantanu KULKARNI, and Michael KIVISALU

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI 49931

This talk presents computational simulations and experimental results for internal condensing flows over a range of tube/channel geometries – ranging from one micro‐meter to several millimeters in hydraulic diameters. Over the mm‐scale, three sets of condensing flow results are presented that are obtained from: (i) full computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based steady simulations, (ii) quasi‐1D steady simulations that employ solutions of singular non‐linear ordinary differential equations, and (iii) experiments involving partially and fully condensing gravity driven and shear driven flows of FC‐72 vapor. These results are shown to be self‐consistent and in agreement with one another. The paper demonstrates the existence of a unique steady solution for the strictly steady equations for shear driven zero‐gravity flows. Transient 0g simulation results show the stability of the steady 0g annular/stratified condensing flows provided the experimental setup allows seeking and holding (through a PID control) of the right exit condition (exit pressure or quality). For the micro‐meter to mm‐scale condensers, computations indentify a critical diameter condition (in terms of a non‐dimensional criteria that depends on other flow conditions) below which the flows are less sensitive to the orientation and time history of the gravity vector ‐ as the condensate is mostly shear driven. With the help of comparisons with 0g flow simulation results, the paper also discusses effects of transverse gravity and limitations of ground based experiments. It is argued that suitable system miniaturization will lead to requisite reduction in transient times that would allow a four‐minute low‐gravity experiment to provide us some critical scientific information on the functionality of condensers in space. 68 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Stability of Evaporating Films in the Absence of Gravity - Isolation of Insta- bility Mechanisms. A. D. Narendranath1, J. S. Allen1 and J. C. Hermanson2, 1Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA ([email protected]), 2Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA ([email protected])

The stability of an evaporating film is of interest in a number of technologies and processes from coatings, paints, and food products to low-gravity systems such as water recovery systems. Physical mechanisms may stabilize or destabilize the films. Some of these mechanisms are gravity, surface tension and interface curvature, Marangoni stresses, buoyancy-induced convection, and vapor recoil. There is a need to understand under what thermal conditions each mechanism become important. In normal gravity with a stable upward facing, evaporating, thin liquid film, the destabilization mechanisms are difficult to isolate and study due to the overwhelming stabilization of gravity. Nonetheless, these destabilization mechanisms do affect the film in a terrestrial environment. A classic examples is the ‘crinkling’ of paint as it dries. Another example occurs in soft lithography processes in which surface waves are permanently left in a layer of photoresist after drying. In reduced gravity, the absence of a strong stabilization mechanism may result in a complete loss of a film, as has been observed in evaporation of sludge for water recovery. [ref] The stability, convective structure and heat transfer of upward facing, evaporating, thin liquid films are being studied experimentally and modeled analytically. Vari- ous heating conditions, constant wall superheat, bulk superheat, and impulsive superheat, have been used to try and isolate destabilization mechanisms. Analytically, we are relaxing the periodic boundary condition normally used in order to investigate the effect of boundary geometry on film stability particularly in the absence of gravity where instability wavelengths may grow to the size of the boundary. Access to quality, long-duration, (3-5 minutes) low- Figure 1: Progression of convective instability patterns gravity environment would enable the isolation and study as an evaporating liquid film thins. The images were ac- of destabilizing mechanisms on large-area liquid films. quired using double-pass schlieren imaging. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 69

HIGH PRECISION SPECTROSCOPY FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE. S. N. Osterman1, 1Center for Astro- physics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80303, [email protected].

Abstract: The next generation of suborbital spacecraft represent a unique opportunity to the astronomical community with the promise of economical, high frequency access to space, and with the opportunity for researchers to accompany their payloads. These vehicles represent a new paradigm for suborbital research: At the same time that they relax many of the constraints on scientific exploration and instrument design, they place other, often more stringent limitations on what sort of science can be performed.

While it is challenging to conceive of missions that can produce high quality astronomical observations given the flight envelope and launch vehicle constraints, it is quite possible to imagine observations that demonstrate key technologies for more ambitious missions. A strawman mission demonstrating new technologies for high precision solar spectroscopy will be presented as an example of missions that can take advantage of this new launch opportunity.

70 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Vulcan TP/PDA - A Modular Materials Processing System for Proprietary R&D. Ruel. A. (Tony) Overfelt, Executive Director, National Air Transportation Center of Excellence for Research in the Intermodal Transport Environment, Auburn University, 275 Wilmore Laboratory Building, Auburn, AL 36849, Tel: (334) 844-5940, E-mail: [email protected] .

Introduction: Over the years, materials processing multiple thermophysical property measurements to be in space has generated both scientific and commercial performed on containerlessly processed samples of a interest due to the uniqueness of the low-g environ- range of molten metals. ment on many fluids-based processes. In September The Vulcan-TP/PDA instrument carries 18 samples 2009, the Materials Science Research Rack was in- and can be controlled by scientists and engineers on stalled in the U.S. Destiny Laboratory. This new facil- the ground via teleoperation. The Vulcan-TP/PDA is ity will provide the scientific community with signifi- comprised of two containers called Universal Small cant new capability for advanced scientific investiga- Experiment Containers (USECs) originally planned for tions. operation in an ISS EXPRESS Rack. The USEC is a The entrepreneurial commercial community also uniquely designed payload containment system of needs access to the low-g environment of space to en- Wyle Corporation. The containment system is equiva- able the development of high value data, processes and lent in size to two space shuttle mid-deck lockers. materials. Materials and process data that improves Vulcan-PDA (Power and Data Acquisition) contains the competitiveness of manufacturing industries can the electronics for the experiment and provides the have significant financial value. One area where basic interface with the spacecraft/EXPRESS Rack for materials data can be exploited to improve process power, data and cooling. Vulcan-TP (Thermophysical design is in thermophysical properties of molten met- Properties) contains the experiment hardware and pro- als and alloys. Basic knowledge of properties like vides the interface to the spacecraft/EXPRESS rack thermal diffusivity, viscosity, density, heat capacity, vacuum exhaust system. surface tension, etc. are important in the design of steel The thermophysical properties experiment of Vul- mills, casting plants, semiconductor crystal growth, can-TP is shown in Figure 2 and is comprised of an welding processes, etc. automated sample handling assembly, which transfers Various techniques for the measurement of thermo- samples into an induction coil inside a vacuum cham- physical properties of materials have been developed ber. A vacuum of 1x10-3 Torr is achieved via the vac- over the years and recent research and development uum exhaust system of an EXPRESS Rack and an has focused on molten metals. Unfortunately, the internal turbomolecular pump further decreases the standard earth-based techniques often cannot be confi- pressure to 1x10-6 Torr. As a sample is heated, data dently applied to high temperature, reactive melts due are gathered via video cameras, motion sensors and an to contamination from the crucibles required to hold infrared sensor attached to various ports on the vac- the samples in earth's gravity. uum chamber. Flexible Space Hardware: Auburn University developed a modular research instrument to melt and test important industrial alloys in low-g. The Vul- can-TP/PDA integrated thermophysical property measurement device, shown in Figure 1, enables

Figure 2. Exploded View of the Vulcan-TP

Figure 1. Vulcan-TP/PDA space experiment modules Experiment Module Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 71

Video and data are recorded in Vulcan-PDA and properties experiment in the Vulcan-TP module could downlinked to the ground via spacecraft/EXPRESS be replaced with a wide variety of different experi- Rack data and video links. The Vulcan-TP/PDA uses ments. For example, directional solidification experi- two 500-watt power inputs and communicates with the ments with metals and/or semiconductor materials or ground via an Ethernet connection. See Figure 3. vapor crystal growth experiments could be designed Required cooling, as currently designed, is provided and housed within a new experiment module powered by the ISS medium temperature water loop that inter- and controlled by the existing Vulcan-PDA. faces with an internal water loop via a water-to-water Acknowledgments: The author gratefully ac- heat exchanger inside Vulcan-PDA. Connections be- knowledges the financial support and encouragement tween the Vulcan-TP and Vulcan-PDA transfer power, received from NASA over the years. In addition, spe- commands, data and cooling between the containers. cial thanks are due to Charlie Adams, Steve Best, Future Capabilities: The two separate container Henry Cobb, Mike Crumpler, Ron Giuntini, Barbara design of the Vulcan-TP/PDA Modular Materials Howell, John Marcell, L.C. Mathison, Don Sirois, Processing System enables new and considerably dif- Deming Wang and Rick Williams for their many con- ferent material processing experiments to be developed tributions to the development of Vulcan TP/PDA. quickly and at low cost. The dedicated thermophysical

Figure 3. Schematic of the Vulcan-TP/PDA Instrument

72 LPI Contribution No. 1534

EXPLORING THE LAST FRONTIER. Larry J. Paxton1, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Labora- tory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723: [email protected].

Introduction: One region of the atmosphere remains as the last frontier – the region from 80 to 160 km – this transition to space, encompasses parts of the mesosphere, lower thermosphere, ionosphere or MLTI. The Earth’s atmosphere has been explored by ground- based instruments, aircraft, balloons, satellites and sounding rockets (see Figure 1) but these instruments find it difficult if not impossible to address this region. There, the atmosphere is forced from above and below (see Figure 2). In this talk I will discuss a concept that is both powerful and flexible, and that can address key, urgent issues in our understanding of the MLTI. Due to the significant dearth of measurements of this region, we will be able to make significant advances in our understanding if relatively simple payloads are launched from either equatorial, mid-latitude or high- latitude sites. The observables and objectives remain Figure 2. The Mesosphere/ Lower Thermosphere / the same – the factor that differs with launch site is the Ionosphere or MLTI is forced from above and below. magnitude of the terms that drive the energy balance Atmospheric waves propagate from below and deposit and, consequently, the temperature profile. their energy in the MLTI. Wave forcing from below is captured in the eddy diffusion coefficient. At high latitudes auroral particles heat the upper atmosphere through particle deposition and Joule heating. Figure Courtesy of TIMED mission.

One of the key questions that we must understand is: what is the temperatue structure of the MLTI region? The temperature structure in the upper atmosphere of all planets is controlled by the balance between cooling and heating terms. These terms demonstrate both global and local variability and they vary in response to solar output changes with the solar cycle, geomagnetic storms, and, quite possibly, Figure 1. This region, the lower thermosphere, E- possibly, anthropogenic influences. For example, the region ionosphere and the upper mesos- mesopause, the temperature minimum, is the coldest phere/mesopause is the ideal subject for human tended place on Earth with a temperature of around 172 K. suborbital science. Orbital assets, such as TIMED, This is due to the combination of the strong CO2 AIM and ground-based assets, such as lidars, radars, cooling and the relatively low amount of absorption of and optical instruments provide valuable collaborative solar radiation. The altitude of the mesopause shows science. some variation but is generally at about 85 km. The summer mesopause is colder than the winter The MLTI is literally the gateway to space. The mesopause – a consequence of gravity-wave key process is the transition from a well mixed atmos- dissipation which sets up a circulation pattern that phere to one in which diffusive separation occurs. This results in downwelling at the winter pole (leading to transition is important to our own planet as it is here adiabatic warming) and an upwelling at the summer that the flow of hydrogen into the upper atmosphere, pole (leading to a cooling). leading to eventual escape, is controlled by the eddy These processes, and others, constitute the lower mixing coefficient and the temperature profile. boundary conditions of the MLTI. Variation in many if not all of the physical parameters that characterize the MTLI is approximately equal to the mean of that Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 73

parameter. In other words, if the mean electron number density at a particular location is 1x1011 electrons/m3 the “one sigma values” measured will be about 1x1010 to 2x1011 electrons/m3, at best. This variation is driven by forcing from above and below, and transport of energy, momentum and mass within the system as well as electric fields that may be internally generated or externally imposed. Global circulation models make a number of parameterizations of subgridscal processes. The most important of these are the parameterization of the eddy mixing coefficient, K. Others include the auroral Joule heating. Suborbital experiments will provide the opportunity to test those parameterizations. An associated science analysis program could evaluate the impact on the first principles models. This work is urgent as it directly impacts our ability to predict and/or model the solar cycle variability of the E-region ionosphere and lower thermosphere and supports the ongoing AIM and TIMED program. AIM – the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere – is characterizing the distribution of PMCs and their physical properties. TIMED is studying the dynamics and ener- getics of this region. There is a strong synergy possible with the AIM and TIMED missions. In the likely event that TIMED and AIM are can- celled before the first of the next generation of suborbital vehicles can fly, this will be the US ITM community’s only access (aside from traditional sounding rockets) to this region. In addition to understanding our own home and the transition from an atmosphere to space, we will also have important insights into the processes that lead to the evolution of other terrestrial planets – especially the escape of hydrogen and how that shapes the amount of water on a planet like Mars and Venus and how increasing CO2 shapes the hydrogen budget in the upper atmosphere. In this talk I will provide more detail on the press- ing problems in MLTI science and how these can be addressed by suborbital platforms.

74 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Integrating Education, Research, and Design-Build-Fly: Perspectives from AggieSat

Helen L. Reed Texas A&M University

The prospect of the next generation of commercial suborbital vehicles providing opportunities for the community to attract students and instill cognizant engineering practices and systems- level perspective in our students, is incredibly exciting. In providing a real experience for students with real deliverables, quality assurance checks, documentation, and organization, a university environment features some interesting challenges, including minimal resources, continuity of “workforce”, time management (classes, …), varying levels of experience on the team, and so forth. Our lab integrates research, design-build-fly, and education with multidisciplinary teams of freshmen through graduate students, and has gained many lessons learned over the years in launching three satellites, two payloads on an Orion sounding-rocket out of NASA Wallops, payloads for several high-altitude balloons, and four KC-135 microgravity experiments.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 75

Reducing the Complexities of Integrating Suborbital Capabilities

Berni G. Reiter, Michael A. Schmidt, Sovaris Aerospace, LLC, Boulder, CO 80302

Managing the complexities of suborbital systems is among our most daunting challenges. One of the key features of reducing complexity and facilitating integration of systems is a vast simplification of the software architecture. A novel, object-oriented programming language (COOP-ER™) can reduce the application footprint from, for example, 50 to 100 megabytes down to roughly one (1) megabyte. This reduced application footprint allows for sharply reduced power consumption, greater program stability, greater ease of integrating system components and new devices, and reduced development times. In addition, this platform is extremely front-end friendly. It can be taught to investigators in as little as 8 weeks, so that programming can more easily enter the hands of those with the core knowledge in their respective discipline

This new programming language is coupled with a novel database structure called Omnidex™, which is a robust search/find engine that enables more efficient parallel management of high dimensional data. It is a hybrid of capabilities that integrate traditional database structures and retrievals, combined with free-text and the inclusion of massively large numeric data fields. Another feature of this database architecture is the capacity to “report out” the variables most responsible for the change under various conditions, which can be used to augment traditional data reduction techniques like principal components analysis (PCA).

When integrated with a paired photon-based communication network (optical multiplexing), this synthesis of technologies allows for cross-platform applications that can address numerous challenges within the ground-based and flight-based suborbital environment. The footprint of all underlying technologies is highly compact, taking a fraction of the space compared to any conventional technology and associated applications, while delivering extraordinary sophistication. As such, it is possible to deliver state-of-the-art software on computers the size of an iPhone. 76 LPI Contribution No. 1534

EMPLOYING ONBOARD VIDEO FOR ENHANCING SUBORBITAL RESEARCH. R. W. Ridenoure, Chief Executive Officer, Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation (Pasadena, CA, and Moffett Field, CA, rride- [email protected]).

Introduction: For any of the emerging human- The experiences and lessons learned from these rated aerospace systems designed for flight operations two examples and other less visible ones provided in the suborbital regime, selective placement and use most of the impetus for treating onboard video systems of onboard video systems promises to enhance overall not as discretionary capabilities, but required. situational awareness and flight documentation, and Key Factors to Consider: Suborbital researchers ultimately the effectiveness of suborbital research con- contemplating the use of onboard video during their ducted during such flights. flights should consider various key factors, which will Motivation: Capturing activities and events on- be highlighted. board human-rated aerospace systems has been Provider. Does the host vehicle come with on- integral to the civil U.S. human space program since board video capability, or does the researcher have to the Mercury launches, first using exclusively conven- provide it? Or Both? tional film technologies and later film and video. This Control. To what degree does the video system practice continues to this day on Shuttle and Interna- need to be manually controlled by the researcher or tional Space Station. host vehicle crew, via commanding by ground-based Video systems first developed in the early and mid- operators, or via autonomous means? Are there im- 1990s to provide onboard views for various uncrewed portant operational constraints to factor in? U.S. launch systems (Pegasus, Atlas, and Titan IV) Sensor Suite. How many cameras are required, were eventually adapted for use on Shuttle External and where should they be placed? What types of sen- Tank during its (suborbital) ascent phase, with the first sors, lenses and optical characteristics are needed? launch in late 2002. No further Shuttle launches with Are lights needed? How about supporting engineering this onboard video system were firmly planned as of data? early 2003, but the Columbia orbiter breakup during Data Transport. How many live video feeds are reentry precipitated a series of decisions at NASA required? How many recorded? Is data compression which made such onboard video systems standard an issue? Playback? Editing? What’s the downlink equipment for providing enhanced onboard situational frequency and allowed bandwidth? What sort of awareness on all Shuttle launches, starting with the ground-based assets are required to receive the down- Return-to-Flight launch in mid-2005. link, capture it and display it? During the post-Columbia Shuttle hiatus, similar Architecture. Does the system support a series of onboard video systems captured multiple dramatic research flights? Can it work on different host plat- views (live and recorded) of the pioneering, privately forms? Is it integrated with the researcher’s equip- developed SpaceShipOne/White Knight suborbital aer- ment, the host platform or both? How is it tested be- ospace system as it captured the X-PRIZE (see photo). fore the flight? Does it scale (up or down)? Is it modular enough to accommodate technology modifications and advances? Is it easily maintainable? Programmatic. What does the system cost (non- recurring and recurring)? Does it have any flight heritage? How long does it take to acquire and integrate with the host platform? Can intellectual property be protected? Are there any licensing, policy or ITAR issues? Near-Term Prospects: Examples of how onboard video can be employed to enhance suborbital research will be discussed, using likely near-term host platforms and research objectives as “case studies” for consideration. The current state of technology and important trends will also be addressed.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 77

HIGH-ALTITUDE BOUNDARY-LAYER TRANSITION - PROSPECTS FOR RESEARCH

William S. Saric & Helen L. Reed

Texas A&M University

The use of re-usable vehicles with significant instrument payloads (70- 100 kg) can provide the means to obtain transition data at high-altitudes and Mach number. Various techniques will be discussed to acquire these data. Atmospheric measurements are a key element to this endeavor since the randomness of high-altitude transition may be due varying concentrations of particle and ice crystals.

Work supported by the AFOSR/NASA National Center for Hypersonic

Research in Laminar-Turbulent Transition

78 LPI Contribution No. 1534

XPC –A Novel Platform for Suborbital Research. Paul Schallhorn1, Curtis Groves1, Charles Tatro 1, Bernard Kutter2, Gerald Szatkowski2, Mari Gravlee2, Tim Bulk3, and Brian Pitchford3, 1NASA Launch Services Program, KSC, FL, 2United Launch Alliance. Denver, CO, 3 Special Aerospace Ser‐ vices, Boulder, CO.

Abstract: High altitude, suborbital research payloads are typically restricted to small packages (in terms of both volume and mass) due to the delivery platform employed. Typically, sounding rockets providing these services have payload capacities which severely limit the scope of the research which can be performed. A new research platform is currently under consideration for both large payload microgravity suborbital payloads seeking access to these regimes. The EXternal Payload Carrier (XPC) utilizes an open solid rocket motor position on the Atlas V vehicle and aerodynam- ically mimics the outer contour of a solid rocket motor. This paper will detail the current conceptual design and capability of XPC for potential future users.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 79

Scientific Opportunities Enabled Via Affordable Suborbital Access John Schmisseur, Air Force Office of Scientific Research

While ground test and numerical simulation remain the foundation for research addressing aerothermodynamic flows associated with reentry bodies and air-breathing space access, scientific flight research represents a critical opportunity to focus and provide guidance to such efforts. While many aspects of the flowfield around a hypervelocity body can be simulated in ground test facilities, no facility can match the exact flight environment. As a result, progress in the development of technologies critical to planned hypersonic capabilities is often paced by the ability of researchers to extrapolate scientific results from ground test to flight conditions using computational solutions to guide scaling. While flight research provides a means to circumvent such challenges, the cost associated with such an approach is prohibitive within the scope of a basic science program. This presentation will address the scientific opportunities enabled by affordable access to suborbital systems. Examples will be presented within the context of contributions to planned future DoD capabilities. The joint Air Force - Australian DSTO HIFiRE flight research program will be discussed along with efforts to coordinate contributions from several flight research programs.

80 LPI Contribution No. 1534

DESIGN OF ADVANCED VERY HIGH RESOLUTION RADIOMETER FOR SURFACE TEMPERATURE ANALYSIS AND CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT INCORPORATING NANO/PICO SATELLITES. Rishitosh Kumar Sinha1, Dr. R. Sivakumar2, Department of Remote Sensing & GIS, SRM University, Chennai, INDIA , Email1: [email protected]

Abstract: The collection of accurate, timely Keywords: multispectral image, resolution, information of the chlorophyll content and radiometer, sensor, optics, bolometer, signal, silicon, temperature of the sea surface will always be temperature sensor, chlorophyll, nano satellite. important. The collection of such information using in situ technique is expensive, time consuming and often impossible. An alternative method can be done by analyzing the multispectral image. The design of this miniaturized non imaging radiometer enables the development of very high resolution data for surface temperature analysis. This advanced radiometer is capable of acquiring a wide swath of 960 km, at a high resolutions level, thereby providing surface temperature analysis in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum in various selective channels. An appropriate choice of the materials for the radiometer optics and the coating of nano materials on the lens are achieved so as to absorb 98% of the optical radiations. The design of nano bolometer with

a coating of LaB6 onto the silicon sheets in the nano regime after ensuring 93% of absorptions produces an instantaneous signal generation system by exciting the surface plasmon electrons. An insulation layer of vaccum is developed for ensuring cooling of the nano bolometer. The output from the nano bolometer is given to the silicon temperature sensor, where the output from the sensor is incorporated to develop the temperature for that particular region for which there is a difference in the input and output signal for the sensor. The output signal from the sensor is given to an analog to digital converter from where a high resolution data is recorded for determinations of chlorophyll content and also an improved understanding of circulations and distributions of phytoplankton population in water masses can be achieved. The revisit time or period & the inclination angle of the radiometer have also been taken under considerations so as to maintain the preciseness of the data. The very low power consumptions (<10 watts) capability and the overall volume of the system enable it to be fit as the payload of a nano satellite. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 81

Problems in the MLT Region of the Atmosphere Which Need a new Approach David. E. Siskind, Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave SW, Washington DC, 20375, [email protected]

Introduction: The mesosphere-lower thermosphere tom panel shows the temperature increments caused by (MLT) region of the atmosphere (80-120 km) is im- the injection of temperature data from the AURA/MLS portant as the boundary between the terrestrial envi- instrument (orbit is the solid black curve which goes ronment and the ionospheric/space weather regime. It pole-to-pole) and the TIMED/SABER instrument is the region where gravity waves break, where mete- (dashed black curves which go from 50S to 80N). ors ablate and where the atmosphere changes from well mixed to a heterogeneous composition. It also The data requirements for future versions of these represents the base of the ionosphere. Despite its im- analysis/forecast systems will be discussed along with portance, it remains relatively unexplored both due to suggestions for meeting these anticipated needs. the difficulties in accessing this region for in-situ observations and in interpreting remote sensing data. References: . [1] Eckermann, S. D et al., (2009) J. Atm. Solar Discussion: Several key observables have resisted our Terr Res, 71, 531-551. attempts at quantification. Here I summarize some of these problems with an emphasis on how reliable, in- situ access to the MLT region might solve them. Spe- cific examples include the problem of imaging the products of meteoric dust ablation, measuring the carbon dioxide abundance and measuring the wind shears which seem to be relevant for the surprisingly rapid, world-wide transport of space shuttle plumes. With the advent of global meteorological models of the entire atmosphere, from the surface to the thermosphere and ionosphere, the need for reliable MLT data to feed assimilation systems is likely to increase in coming years. An example from a current prototype system, NOGAPS-ALPHA (Navy Operational Global Atmos- pheric Prediction System- Advanced Level Physics High Altitude) is shown in Figure 1[1].

Figure 1: Sample of a temperature field from a middle atmosphere data analysis system. The top panel is an analysis field for 7.5 hPa (about 35 km). The bot- 82 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Implementing the NASA CRuSR Program. M. G. Skidmore1, D. C. Maclise2, Y. D.Cagle3, R. C.Mains4, L.Chu- Thielbar5, 1NASA Ames Research Center (NASA ARC, MS240-10, Moffett Field, CA [email protected]) , 2NASA ARC ([email protected]), 3NASA ARC ([email protected]), 4Mains Assoc. ([email protected]), 5SETI Inst. ([email protected]).

Introduction: With the advent of a new class of so that the integration of Scientific, Technical, Engi- Commercial Reusable Suborbital spacecraft, NASA is neering, and Mathematical (STEM) educational assets developing a new program to respond to policy guid- and Near-Space are mutually beneficial and self sus- ance and to facilitate access to “Near-Space” by taining NASA-sponsored researchers, engineers, technolo- - Facilitate the development of an open interactive gists, and educators. The goal of the Commercial Re- website where: usable Suborbital Research Program (CRuSR) is regu- • the research community can exchange in- lar, frequent, and predictable access to the edge of formation and ideas to facilitate development of an space at a reasonable cost with easy recovery of intact active and knowledgeable user community payloads. • the launch provider community can share in- Background: Extensive guidance concerning formation to develop common community responses to Commercial Space has been delivered by Congress: items of interest, develop standard payload interfaces, • 1958 National Aeronautics and Space Act and communicate capabilities to potential users • Commercial Space Act of 1998 • the broader Near-Space community (launch • NASA Authorization Act of 2005 providers, users, service providers, & government) can • NASA Authorization Act of 2008 exchange information and develop innovative collabo- And the White House: rations • White House Space Policy (2004) • White House Space Transportation Policy (2006) The CRuSR Program is soliciting input from the user, provider, regulatory, and commercial infrastruc- Goals: The CRuSR Program has been developed to ture communities so that it may better support the utili- respond to the guidance referenced above and intends zation and development of a robust and vibrant Near- to implement this guidance in the following specific Space community. ways: - Educate the scientific and technological (user) community about the opportunities presented by this new access to space - Facilitate user access to Near-Space through the emerging Commercial Reusable Suborbital community - Work with FAA and other regulatory agencies to achieve safe and effective access to Near-Space - Facilitate the operations of a commercial payload integration industry that will work to move experiments safely and effectively from the laboratory onto Near-Space platforms - Work to transfer NASA technologies and processes critical to the transition of experiments from laboratories onto Near-Space platforms - Work with established spaceports to encourage commercial activities that facilitate the growth of suborbital space research - Work with government (DoD & other agencies) and industry to leverage resources across the R&D community to develop access to Near-Space - Work with the government’s administrative infrastructure to define strategies and approaches that will facilitate research access to Near-Space - Engage the education community to integrate their expertise and creativity into Near-Space research Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 83

The Atsa Suborbital Observatory: using crewed suborbital spacecraft for a low-cost space-borne telescope. L. S. Sollitt1 and F. Vilas2, 1Department of Physics, The Citadel, 171 Moutrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409, [email protected], 2MMT Observatory, P.O. Box 210065, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065, [email protected].

Introduction: We discuss a suborbital flight pro- and 2.0 µm (p yroxene, olivine), or the existence of gram supporting NIR observations, suitable for a vari- water of hydration by observing OH and H2O near 1.4 ety of Solar System targets. A suborbital platform and 1.9 µm, and the overall trend of the slope of a fea- gives an observatory two distinct advantages over a tureless spectrum. A possible suite of filters to use ground-based system. First, a suborbital telescope, at with these asteroid observations includes medium-band 60-100 km altitude, is above telluric water in the (200 Å FWHM) filters centered at 0.9 µm, 0.93 µm, Earth’s atmosphere, allowing access to the complete 0.96 µm, 1.00 µm, 1.10 µm, 1.25 µm, 1.40 µm, 1.90, IR spectrum of an object. Second, an inexpensive tele- 2.00, 2.30 µm, in order to identify and discern spectral scope can observe inside the solar exclusion angles of features of pyroxenes or olivines or both near 1.0 µm (shape of M1 mafic silicate feature for pyroxenes and robotic orbital telescopes. For example, the solid angle olivines), pyroxenes near 2.0 µm, plagioclase at 1.25 excluded for the Hubble Space Telescope is 50o[1]; for µm, the water of hydration combinations and overtones Spitzer Space Telescope, it is 82.5o[2]. Observations of at 1.4 and 1.9 µm, and the ove rall shape of the spec- the Aten and Apohele asteroids, Vulcanoid searches, trum. As the object gets closer to the Sun, the thermal Sun-grazing comets, comets reaching perihelion at component in the spectrum dominates at shorter wave- heliocentric distances < 1 AU, and the planets Mercury lengths in the near IR, and will need to be character- and Venus, all must be made in the vicinity of the Sun. ized and removed from the photometry. Instrument Concept: The Atsa Suborbital Obser- Heritage and development status: The telescope vatory (“atsa” is the Navajo word for eagle) system and focal plane components are all commercially avail- would consist of a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, po- able. The parts that must be custom fabricated include tentially a ruggedized commercially-available Ce- the interface between the telescope and the camera, the lestron tube with an aperture of 356 mm and a focal mounting system (gimbals, bracket, etc.), the drive length of 3.97 m (“telescope”), along with a commer- system, and specified filters. Depending on available cially-available Silver 220 SWIR infrared camera at spacecraft, a simple, hand-steered first iteration of the the focal plane (a FLIR Thermovision SC4000 is also telescope could be ready in as little as a few months. possible) (“camera”). The camera accomodates a filter wheel, and is sensitive to the spectral range of 0.8-2.5 Size, mass, power, data: The notional telescope di- µm with a quantum efficiency over 70%. The tele- ameter is 14 in, length is 31 in. The tube weight is 45 scope is attached to a gimbal system and drive motors. lb. The camera is ~ 6.5 lb, and ~ 8 in long. The com- The exact configuration will depend on the vehicle puter is 5.1 lb. Truss and drive motors are loosely es- used: in the case of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip2, the timated here at 50 lb. Total mass is ~ 100 lb. The cam- gimbals would be attached to the front aperture of the era uses a power source that accepts 80-240V AC, and telescope, and attach, via a frame or bracket, to the SS2 would either need a power from the spacecraft, or an porthole. The aperture opening is kept very close to on-board battery. Likewise, the camera can be battery- the porthole. Gross telescope steering would be pro- powered. The duration of the flight is short enough that vided by the spacecraft; fine steering is provided battery power should be sufficient for both devices. through the gimbal system. This telescope would have The gimbal drives might similarly be battery-powered, diffraction-limited resolution of about 2.6 km/pixel on but this is subject to power availability on the vehicle the Moon near 2.0 µm for lunar observations. Actua- and current draw of the gimbal drives. All data would tion might be motor-driven, potentially with a be stored on the computer hard drive using commer- steadicam-like system to track the target through per- cially available software. There would be no real-time turbations of the spacecraft (similar systems currently data streaming from the instrument, and no data stor- fly on Air Force Predator and Reaper drones). The age requirements levied on the vehicle. initial target acquisition would be done manually by Requirements on a suborbital spacecraft: Use of the operator. Control of the telescope, including data a suborbital spacecraft for astronomical observations acquisition, would be done with a ruggedized laptop may impose new requirements on vehicles that might computer. be planning for tourist flights. Some targets may re- Observations with Atsa require a judicious selec- quire a night launch, which might require upgrades to tion of filters. For asteroids, the filters should concen- the craft’s avionics to allow for night flight. It may be trate on defining the existence and characteristics of necessary for a single experiment to take up an entire the mafic silicates having absorption features near 1.0 launch: in the case of SpaceShip2, instruments would 84 LPI Contribution No. 1534

be restricted to looking out of portholes, and unless the telescope so that we do not see time-dependent effects instruments are looking at the same target (and are in due to seeing a changing transmission coefficient at coplanar portholes), it is unlikely that two different different angles (at different points during the observa- instruments could be accommodated on the same tion). flight. An observatory flight would likely not be suit- References: able for flying tourists. On the one hand, the spacecraft [1] HST Primer for Cycle 17, 2.3 Pointing Con- may have to fly in an attitude which is disadvantageous straints (2007). [2] Gerhz, et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 78, for Earth viewing in order to accommodate pointing at 011302 (2007). [3] Greason, J., personal communica- the target; on the other hand, pointing stability re- tion quirements of the telescope will likely necessitate all participants remaining seated, and not hitting the side of the spacecraft (as they would do if free-flying), even if the telescope were isolated from passengers. Flight planning and training requirements. As the period of time above the atmosphere is mere minutes, effective time management is critical to mission success. This will require choreographing the mission beforehand, and understanding the timing of critical events, such as maneuvers and deployments, to the second. Flight training for the crew should include NASA-like practice of the mission profile, with plenty of simulated missions run before the real thing. Window. The spacecraft window must have good transmissivity across the desired spectral range (tenta- tively, 0.4 – 2.5 µm for the infrared telescope concept). It could be that a special window must be fitted to the craft (as is planned for XCOR’s Mk 2 Lynx vehicle [3]); also, provision must be made in the craft to accommodate the instrument (attachment points, etc.). The ideal location for an instrument would be on the exterior of the spacecraft to avoid all issues with window tranmissivity. Stray light. Accommodation for stray light issues will depend on the spacecraft configuration. In the case of SpaceShip2, this may include essentially turning off all lights inside the cabin to avoid reflections from the window, and optically shielding the data acquisition station from the telescope. Scattered light from the spacecraft exterior must also be accounted for: this may mean using a certain attitude to put the telescope in the spacecraft shadow, or even altering the spacecraft exterior to minimize reflected light. Given that one of the great strengths of a low-cost suborbital system is its ability to observe close to the Sun, thorough understanding of and planning for light reflected from the spacecraft will be critical to mission success. Ac- comodation issues should be worked with spacecraft designers early in their process. Pointing requirements: The drift rate should be less than perhaps 20 seconds for the target to cross the FOV; overall spacecraft pointing control needs to be within the field of regard of the telescope, which will depend on the window size versus the telescope diameter, etc. One important point is that if we are using a pre-existing window, which ostensibly has a constant thickness, we will want to limit the movement of the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 85

SPACEX DRAGONLAB: A PLATFORM FOR LONGER DURATION MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENTATION. Erin Spengler and Max Vozoff, Space Exloration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), 1 Rocket Road, Hawthorne, CA 90250

Introduction: In the coming few years micro- search include the material, fluid and combustion gravity will become a commercial product offered by a sciences among others. Crystal growth and metallic diverse list of providers. These environments are al- deposition are examples of specific material science ready commercially available through companies offer- fields where significant possibilities are known to exist ing atmospheric parabolic flight. While this is an ac- with crystals grown in microgravity exhibiting more ceptable environment for some types of scientific in- diverse structures with fewer defects and inclusions vestigation, and an excellent proving ground for longer than otherwise possible. Vast life science research duration experiments, many fields of science require possibilities include fundamental biology, biotech and microgravity environments with duration measured in space medicine. Many of these processes have been hours, days or months rather than in seconds. found to be modified or enhanced in a microgravity Starting in 2010, suborbital platforms will offer environment and may be critical to manned missions to several minutes of high quality microgravity. In early the moon and beyond. 2011, the first mission of SpaceX’s DragonLab space- Aside from fundamental microgravity research, craft will carry up to 6000 kg of microgravity payloads DragonLab also serves as a platform for research in and other in-space experiments into Low Earth Orbit, material sciences and radiation effects, especially space marking the dawn of regular, frequent, commercial environment effects on surfaces and coatings. Dra- microgravity services for durations up to two years, gonLab offers both recoverable and non-recoverable including recovery and return of payloads at the end of payload accommodations with exposure to the space the mission. environment. Dragon and DragonLab: Microgravity experi- DragonLab will also be capable of carrying instrumentation and utilization are of interest to many fields ments and sensors into space for on-orbit testing, veri- of scientific research, engineering development and fication and the attendant accumulation of flight herit- commercial manufacturing. Although many flown age. payloads have yielded highly successful and promising This paper emphasizes the value of DragonLab as results, infrequent flight opportunities and irregular re- an on-orbit scientific platform for microgravity reflight options have impeded the development of sus- search and manufacturing by outlining and discussing tained research programs or plausible commercial the various known and potential areas it will make business models. available. The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft are both slated for inaugural flights in 2009 with multiple missions annually thereafter. Flights will be to the ISS and also as commercial free-flyer missions, dubbed “DragonLab”, specifically for in- space experimentation. Both pressurized and unpressurized payloads can be accommodated with recovery of pressurized payloads as a standard service. Dra- gonLab’s flexible capability and launch rate will make access to microgravity significantly more frequent and affordable. The prospect of routine access to space will enable researchers in a variety of fields to expand their microgravity research while fostering the growth of new industries and research possibilities. Microgravity Applications: SpaceX has added to its manifest two free-flying missions of its “Dragon- Lab” spacecraft. This improvement in access to the orbital microgravity environment has piqued the interest of the scientific community as microgravity research opportunities abound in both the physical and life sciences. Potential areas of physical science re- 86 LPI Contribution No. 1534

IMPROVING MISSION FLEXIBILITY WITH THE HIPPOGRIFF PROPULSION MODULE. Robert C. Steinke1, 1SpeedUp, LLC (2207 Rainbow Avenue, Laramie, WY 82070, [email protected]).

Introduction: SpeedUp, LLC is developing a hydrogen peroxide hybrid rocket propulsion module called the Hippogriff. The primary benefit of the Hip- pogriff will be to improve flexibility in mission planning by allowing incremental increases in the propulsion capability of a launch system. The Hippogriff will be able to increase the apogee and/or payload mass of a suborbital launch. Hippogriff modules are intended to be clustered with additional modules easily added to accommodate payload weight growth. Technology: The Hippogriff is based on our hydrogen peroxide monopropellant rocket entered in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. A hybrid rocket is a straightforward evolution from a monopropellant rocket providing the most bang for the buck: medium performance at low cost. The Hippogriff will use a catalyst based ignition system where the oxidizer and fuel ignite on contact. This provides extremely high ignition reliability, similar to a hypergolic system, but with much easier to handle and more environmentally friendly propellants. The Hippogriff provides simplicity, reliability, and low cost while giving mission planners the flexibility to tailor the performance of a launch system to their payload. Performance: The Hippogriff is still under development so all performance numbers are projected. The Hippogriff will have a gross mass of about 130 kg, and be approximately 230 cm long by 45 cm in diameter. Table 1 gives the payload mass to an apogee of 100 km and the apogee of a 100 kg payload assuming a nominal first stage that can lift 100 kg to 100 km and a variable number of Hippogriffs.

Number of 0 1 2 Hippogriffs Payload to 100 kg 145 kg 165 kg 100 km Apogee of 100 km 150 km 180 km 100 kg payload Table 1: Using the Hippogriff to increase payload mass or apogee

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 87

Planetary Science from a Next-Gen Suborbital Platform: Sleuthing the Long Sought After Vulcanoid Aster- oids. S.A. Stern1 , D.D. Durda1, M. Davis1, and C.B. Olkin1. Southwest Research Institute, Suite 300, 1050 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302, [email protected].

Introduction: We are on the verge of a revolution in pheric haze and turbulence are among the daunting scientific access to space. This revolution, fueled by challenges faced by ground-based observers searching billionaire investors like Richard Branson and Jeff for objects near the Sun at twilight. Consequently, only Bezos, is fielding no less than three human flight sub- a few visible-wavelength ground-based searches for orbital systems in the coming 24 months. This new Vulcanoids have been conducted. stable of vehicles, originally intended to open up a Experiment: We will conduct a large area search space tourism market, includes Virgin Galactic’s for Vulcanoids using our SWUIS imager developed for SpacesShip2, Blue Origin’s New Shepard, and Space Shuttle and high altitude F-18 flights. We will XCOR’s Lynx. Each offers the capability to fly multi- conduct our Vulcanoid search experiment at altitudes ple humans to altitudes of 70-140 km on a frequent of 100-140 km near twilight so that the Vulcanoid re- (daily to weekly) basis for per-seat launch costs of gion is seen above a dark Earth with the Sun below the $100K-$200K/launch. The total investment in these depressed horizon. In this way we will eliminate the systems is now approaching $1B, and test flights of scattered light problems that have dogged all ground- each are set to begin in 2010. based Vulcanoid searchers. We have been funded to conduct a multi-flight The Vulcanoid search is an extension of the same next-gen suborbital series of imaging experiments to observing strategy we followed for our NASA-funded search for the Vulcanoids, a long sought after putative investigation at high altitudes in the F/A-18B aircraft. The limitations that have plagued past ground-based population of small asteroids orbiting inside the orbit visible-wavelength searches for Vulcanoids can be of Mercury. greatly alleviated by reducing or removing the various Background: Among the few stable dynamical observing problems (clouds, variable hazes, turbu- niches that are still largely unexplored is the region lence, scattered light, high airmass, etc.) associated interior to Mercury’s orbit (i.e., orbits with aphelia with the atmosphere. From above the Earth’s atmos- <0.25 AU; see Fig. 1), where a population of small, phere, in deeper twilight than is ever possible from the asteroid-like bodies called the Vulcanoids is hypothe- ground for objects so close to the Sun, we will be able sized to reside. This reservoir likely contains valuable to detect Vulcanoids down to at least magnitude V = samples of condensed material from the early inner 12.5, corresponding to pν = 0.14 (i.e., Mercury-like) solar system, of which we have no current information, objects only 8 km across at the outer boundary of the but which could be spectroscopically studied in the Vulcanoid zone. Covering ~100 square degrees to lim- future. It also bears relevance on our understanding iting magnitude V=12.5-14.0, this effort will result in and the interpretation of Mercury’s cratering record, the most comprehensive, constraining Vulcanoids and thus Mercury’s surface chronology. search yet conducted.

Figure 1. The Vulcanoid zone (VZ) interior to the orbit of the planet Mercury.

Although a modest population of Vulcanoids may exist, they are particularly challenging to detect due to their angular proximity to the Sun and relative faint- ness compared to the twilight sky. Viewed from Earth, the Vulcanoid Zone (VZ) lies between just 4º (0.08 AU) and 12º (0.21 AU) of the Sun. This means it can only be observed near twilight (with difficulty, we note) or with spacecraft coronagraphs that block the disk of the Sun. High sky brightness, short observation windows before sunrise or just after sunset, and atmos- 88 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Some Issues in Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere Chemistry that can be address with Measurements from Next-Generation Suborbital Vehicles, Michael E. Summers, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030, [email protected].

Introduction: The region of the atmosphere encom- phere, yet are not well understood due to critical ob- passing the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (50- servations [2]. 120 km altitude) is possibly the least sampled and least High spatial resolution measurements of these and a understood region of the Earth’s atmosphere. This variety of other trace gases and radicals from the next region of the atmosphere is impossible to sample by generation of suborbital vehicles could provide a new balloons and spacecraft, and only briefly sampled by window on understanding the details of the balance rockets. To date the primary means of studying this between chemistry and dynamical processes in the me- region is through the use of either ground-based or sosphere and lower thermosphere. The ability to di- satellite remote sensing. Remote sensing by satellites rectly sample the environment, i.e., measureing the is a powerful means of monitoring this part of the at- concentrations of both long- and short-lived chemical mosphere, but has its own drawbacks, such as poor species at high spatial and temporal resolution, and at a vertical and horizontal resolution determined by in- varity of latitudes and seaons, would provide the neces- strument weighting functions, and highly constrained sary information to test the completeness of our photo- sampling locations determined by the satellite’s orbital chemical theories and at the same time test our under- geometry. Several issues in mesospheric photochemi- standing of the dynamical processes controlling this stry are particularly impacted by lack of high spatial region of the atmosphere. In this talk we will discuss resolution measurements of key reactants and trace several examples where such measurements might pro- gases. vide a much-needed new approach to mesospheric- . lower thermospheric science. Discussion: Several key mesospheric trace gases, such as water vapor, methane, and carbon monoxide have References: chemical lifetimes comparable to their dynamical [1] Summers, M.E. et al., (1997) Sciences, 277, transport timescales. As such, these species are espe- 1967-1970. cially useful as tracers of dynamical processes. How- [2] Fritts, D.C. and Alexander, M. J. (2003) Rev. Geo- ever, in order to characterize dynamic aspects of the phys., 41, No.1, 1029. atmosphere from the distributions of these tracers it is important to understand their respective chemical production and loss processes to high accuracy. This is very important for using these species to understand the transition region known as the turbopause which is the region where the atmosphere undergoes a transition from being controlled by dynamics to diffusive control. In addition, this region is the atmosphere is where solar influences (e.g. solar UV variability) are expected to maximize. There are a variety of observations of these important trace gases which suggest that we don’t yet have a sufficiently complete understanding of mesospheric photochemistry to be confident in using them as pure tracers of dynamical processes. For example, water vapor exhibits layers of enhanced mixing ratio both at low latitudes and high latitudes which cannot be accounted for by gas phase chemistry [1]. Mesospheric ozone above the mesopause shows evidence suggestive of enhanced mixing rates, presumably from gravity wave breaking, that are as yet not sufficiently characterized to determine the relative role of mixing and chemistry in the control of the ozone profile. There are a variety of dynamical processes which act on both small and large scales, which should lead to observable effects on trace gas distributions in the upper mesos- Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 89

National Space Biomedical Research Institute and Space Life Science Research Sutton, J.P.

Established in 1997 through a NASA competition, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute is working on countermeasures to the health-related problems and physical and psychological challenges men and women face on long-duration missions. The research consortium's primary objective is to ensure safe and productive human spaceflight. Projects also address key technologies required to enable and enhance exploration. In particular, NSBRI scientists and physicians are developing technologies to provide medical monitoring, diagnosis and treatment in the extreme environments of microgravity, the moon and Mars. NSBRI discoveries impact medical care on Earth. While solving space health issues, the Institute is transferring the solutions to patients suffering from similar conditions, including osteoporosis, muscle wasting, shift-related sleep disorders, balance disorders and cardiovascular system problems.

This talk will focus on the opportunities for suborbital flights and NSBRI, highlighting areas of scientific and technical interest with application to both spaceflight and Earth-based medicine.

90 LPI Contribution No. 1534

eSpace NSRC Abstract Scott Tibbitts Executive Director eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship

Space is fertile ground for entrepreneurs with its own unique characteristics and peculiarities. Since opening its doors in January of 2009, eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship, a 501 c 3 organization formed from a partnership of academia and industry, has been active in this domain, helping to create entrepreneurial space companies, commercialize their technologies and develop a passionate workforce to fuel their growth.

Next generation Suborbital Research is a new frontier that is expected to spawn new entrepreneurial opportunities by providing access to space at a fraction of the cost. The subject talk will present key elements of successful space entrepreneurism and their applicability to this new frontier, with criteria for a successful suborbital space venture presented. Emphasis will be placed on describing opportunities for university students, with suborbital and orbital space entrepreneurship being presented as an alternative to traditional aerospace careers.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 91

DYNAMIC MICROSCOPY IN SUBORBITAL FLIGHT. P. Todd1, M. A. Kurk1, J. C. Vellinger1 and R.E. Boling, II.1 1 Techshot, Inc., 7200 Highway 150, Greenville, IN 47124. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Introduction: Suborbital low-gravity flights to This device includes a controller for the platen the “edge of space” open new opportunities for components that controls hardware and laboratory research in low gravity utilizing the software interfaces (Figure 2). capabilities of the forthcoming generation of crewed space ships. There is an expected demand for rapid execution of low-gravity experiments, especially those in which fluids, biological cells or model organisms are involved. A portable, robust microscope will be a vital component of a wide variety of research designs. Two configurations of light microscopy systems are presented here as potential tools for crew members aboard Figure 2. Electronics interface for fluidics suborbital space ships. controls and image acquisition. The dynamic microscopy platen is seen on the far right. The Discussion: The technology described herein software environment provides users with had its origins in a completed Phase II SBIR opportunities to design, optimize and operate project conducted by Techshot , Inc. for NASA their experiments. Glenn Research Center. The project The other instrument (Figure 3) is a self- culminated in two deliverable models of the contained microscopy unit capable of recording product, which was named “Dynascope”. One time-lapse images of particles or cells or of the instruments consists of a platen equipped interfaces under dynamic investigations, such with four reservoirs and valves, two piezo as applied magnetic or electric fields, moving pumps, a hollow slide for samples, and three interfaces, self-assembling systems or living selectable dynamic elements: electric field, cells. magnetic field and heater (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Dynamic microscope platen designed Figure 3. Self-contained version of dynamic to fit the geometry of standard microscopes. It microscope for video recording of can be used to apply electric and magnetic fields to samples, thermal control and real-time fluid hydrodynamic, gravitational, magnetic, electrokinetic, interfacial and swimming motion, changes. The platen is 176 mm x 127 mm (6.9” x built into a small-footprint housing. 5.0”). 92 LPI Contribution No. 1534

The mounted USB video microscope is focused and scanned by computer-controlled stepper motors. Fluidics and control circuits are located in the housing. Hollow slide. At the heart of the technology is a hollow glass slide. Commercial rectangular extruded glass (borosilicate or fused silica) with a 4.0 x 0.4 mm cross section is ideally suited for most anticipated applications. Figure 4 shows an exploded view of a version of a Figure 5. Video micrograph of a two-phase holder for hollow slides. Considering their system in the hollow slide showing dynamics of composition and their shatter characteristics, extraction of particles from the right phase into the hollow slides are embedded in a protective the left phase. holder that still allows the close approach of a Summary Comments: The technology is high-magnification microscope objective. The especially applicable to life sciences hollow slide is an exchangeable, disposable experiments in brief low-gravity episodes. The element of the platform. Its own reservoirs are ability to change fluids in cultures of living fed from the four reservoirs on the platen cells under the microscope, suitably enough, (Figure 1) or within the self-contained unit originated with Charles Lindbergh [1, 2], and using two micro pumps and four microvalves. today, low-cost, temperature-controlled perfusion units for observing living cultures by microscopy are readily available commercially for ground-based observations (for example: Bioscience Tools, San Diego, CA). Typically such systems are observed using an automated camera and time-lapse microscopy, which we prefer to call “dynamic microscopy” because in most experiments the experimental system is subjected to temporal modifications by the investigator (robotically) and not just passively observed by the microscope, and a suitable name for the instrumentation would be “Dynascope”.

Figure 4. Hollow slide holder. Exploded view of Acknowledgments: The development of these components showing fluid reservoirs “headers” two technologies was sponsored by NASA at each end of the hollow slide and embedded Glenn Research Center via NASA SBIR grant into stabilizing holder. Each header has an inlet NAS3-02085. and an outlet. References: [1] Carrel, A. and Lindbergh, C. Application example. Figure 5 is a photo taken A. The Culture of Organs. Paul B. Hoeber, with the device. It shows the interface between Inc., New York (1938). [2] Lindbergh, C. A. two immiscible liquid phases and suspended 1939. J. Exper. Med. 70, 231 (1939). particles undergoing extraction from the right phase into the left phase. Interfacial experiments represent one category of microgravity science served by microscopy. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 93

SLIDING CAVITY ACCOMMODATIONS FOR LIQUID-LIQUID AND THIN-FILM EXPERIMENTS IN LOW GRAVITY. P. Todd1, J. C. Vellinger1, M. S. Deuser1 and R.E. Boling, II.1 1 Techshot, Inc., 7200 Highway 150, Greenville, IN 47124. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Introduction: Suborbital low-gravity flights to the “edge of space” open new opportunities for laboratory research in low gravity utilizing the capabilities of the forthcoming generation of crewed space FILL PORT CONTAINMENT STEPPER ENCLOSURE ships. There is an expected demand for rapid PLATE ASSEMBLY MOTOR COVER execution of low-gravity experiments, CONTAINMENT especially those in which fluids are involved. ENCLOSURE Sliding-cavity accommodations can provide a very rapid means of bringing pairs of liquids PLATE into contact, mixing them and either capturing ASSEMBLIES the result or making a video record of the BASE ASSEMBLY action [1-5]. This technology has been Fteigxtu re 1. Top: Plates are launched with cavities applied to low-gravity fluids experiments on in the “half-stepped” position (right figure); low-g aircraft [6,7], sounding rockets [8] and the lower plate moves in the direction of the arrow to contact fluids in upper and lower the U. S. space shuttle [2,5, 8]. Cassettes that cavities (lower cavity may contain a magnetic have flown have contained biphasic liquid stir bar). Lower left: Each of 22 cavities per separation, multistage extraction, immiscible plate is filled with the desired liquid by the fluid contacting, particle diffusion, drug investigator. Lower right: Two plates are microencapsulation, protein crystallization, assembled into each cassette for motorized uniformity of crystallization, and cell operation during flight. culturing experiments. Separation methods. Mixing, demixing and transport in liquid biphasic Cavities can be brought Discussion: systems and associated interfacial phenomena into and out of contact on opposite plates that in biphasic liquid systems can be analyzed on either slide or rotate. Several very interesting the basis of post-flight capture or in-flight questions can be asked using this simple video imaging [2,4,5,8]. Particle migration approach. Figure 1 (top) is a How it works: and aggregation in electrophoresis can be schematic diagram showing how two liquids studied using the electrokinetic version of the are brought into contact, allowed to react with hardware [9]. Migration of magnetic particles or without mixing, and captured during brief in a variety of magnetic fields and gradients exposure to low gravity by sliding to the can be studied, and magnetophoretic uncontacted position. Figure 1 (left) shows a mobilities can be estimated [10,11]. . pair of plates with a peripheral ring of sliding Microbiology and model organisms. cavities being loaded with samples. Figure 1 Swimming and interaction transport of (right) is an exploded view of two plates bacteria, flagellates, nematodes, and various being assembled into an enclosed cassette so cells can be analyzed on the basis of post- that up to 44 experiments can be performed flight capture or in-flight video imaging. per cassette. Several categories of low-gravity Interfacial reactions, crystallization. fluid physics and transport experiments are Most reactions, especially including phase feasible, some of which are presented here. separation in crystal growth, are considered 94 LPI Contribution No. 1534 too slow to study in the 3-6 minute time [5] P.Todd, W. M. Jennings IV, J. C. frame; however, judicious selection of Vellinger, J. F. Doyle, K. Barton, N. Thomas, concentrations (which can be varied because J. Weber, M. E. Wells and M.S. Deuser.. 2nd many cavities are available) can lead to rapid Pan Pacific Basin Workshop on Microgravity interfacial crystal growth. In addition, rapid Sciences, AIAA Paper BT-1164 (2001). [6] mixing is possible with a mixing version of S. Konagurthu, W. B. Krantz and P. Todd. the sliding cavity device [12,13]. Proc. of Euromembrane '95, Vol. 1, 256-261 Polymer thin-film casting. The phase- (1996). [7] V. Khare, A. R. Greenberg, W. B. inversion process involved in forming a Krantz, H. Lee, P. Todd and S. Dunn. AIAA polymer thin film associated with solvent Paper 2001-5024, AIAA (2001). [8] J. evaporation is a process ideally suited for Vellinger, M. S. Deuser, P. Todd, J. F. Doyle, study in brief low-g episodes [14-16]. Figure N. Thomas, K. Barton, G. W. Metz, M. G. 2 is a schematic diagram of a device that has Sportiello and R. P. Cooper. Proceedings of been used for the study of polymer thin film Spacebound 2000, Objectif Espace 2000, casting on low-g aircraft. www.space.gc.ca/spacebound2000. [9] S. Sengupta, P. Todd and N. Thomas. Electrophoresis 23, 2064-2073 (2002). [10] P. Todd, R. P. Cooper, J. F. Doyle, S. Dunn, J. Vellinger and M. S. Deuser. J. Magnetism Mag. Materials 225, 294-300 (2001). [11] P. Todd, J. F. Doyle, P. Carter, H. Wachtel, M. S. Deuser, J. C. Vellinger, J. M. Cassanto, U. Figure 2. Sliding-cavity method for evaporative Alvarado, J. Sygusch and T. B. Kent. J. thin-film casting. Lower block slides to right Magnetism Magnetic Mat. 194, 96-101 bringing casting solution under a chimney of activated carbon that rapidly absorbs solvent. (1999). [12] J. Sygusch, R. Coulombe, J. M. Cassanto, M. G. Sportiello and P. Todd. J. Summary: Sliding-cavity technology Cryst. Growth. 162, 167-172 (1996). [13] can be applied to a wide variety of M. G. Sportiello, P. Todd, N. Thomas and J. experiments during brief low-gravity periods C. Vellinger. AIAA Paper 2001-5076, such as are expected on forthcoming crewed American Institute of Aeronautics and suborbital space flights. Astronautics, Washington, DC (2001). [14] References: [1] J. M. Cassanto, W. S. Konagurthu, M. R. Pekny, P.Todd, A. R. Holemans, T. Moller, P. Todd, R. M. Stewart, Greenberg and W. B. Krantz. Proc. 1998 and Z. R. Korszun. Progr. Astronaut. NASA Microgravity Materials Science Aeronaut. 127, 199-213 (1990). [2] J. Conference, NASA/CP-1999-209092 (1999). Holemans, J. M. Cassanto, T. W. Moller, V. [15] M. R. Pekny, J. Zartman, A. R. A. Cassanto, A. Rose, M. Luttges, D. Greenberg, W. B. Krantz and P. Todd. Morrison, P. Todd, R. Stewart, R. Z. Korszun Polymer Preprints 41(1), 1060-1061 (2000). and G. Deardorff. Microgravity Q. 1, 235- [16] M. R. Pekny, A. R. Greenberg, V. Khare, 247 (1991). [3] J. Vellinger, M. S. Deuser, P. J. Zartman, W. B. Krantz and P. Todd. J. Todd, J. F. Doyle, N. Thomas, K. Barton, G. Membrane Sci. 205, 11-21 (2002). [17] P. W. Metz, M. G. Sportiello and R. P. Cooper. Todd, M. R. Pekny, J. Zartman, W. B. Krantz Spacebound 2000, Objectif Espace 2000, and A. R. Greenberg. In Polymer Research in September, 2001, Microgravity/Polymerization and Processing. www.space.gc.ca/spacebound2000. [4] P. Ed. J. P. Downey and J. A. Pojman, ACS Todd, J. C. Vellinger, S. Sengupta, M. G. Symposium Series 793, Chapter 9, 126-137 Sportiello, A. R. Greenberg and W. B. Krantz. (2001). Annals N. Y. Acad Sci. 974, 581-590 (2002).

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 95

Next-Generation Modular Recovery Systems

B. A. Tutt1 and J. Barber2, 1Airborne Systems, 3000 Segerstrom Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92704, [email protected] 2Airborne Systems, 5800 Magnolia Ave, Pennsauken, NJ 08109, [email protected]

Introduction: Recovery systems perform a critical Airbag technology for flotation and impact attenua- role in the execution of many suborbital missions and tion have also matured rapidly in recent years. Ad- atmospheric research programs where high value payl- vances in transient finite element analysis have enabled oads and vehicles containing personnel or experimental rapid assessment of an entire operational envelopes for equipment and data must be safely and reliably re- these components. Airbags that encompass both land- treived. A recovery system could comprise a mixture ing attenuation and flotation technology can be com- of subsystems, ranging from a parachute, an integrated bined with non-guided parachutes to offer reliable soft- guidance system, flotation airbags, impact attenuation landings. devices, mid-air retrieval techniques, location and identification aids. These subsystems can be combined to provide location accurate recovery of time critical experiments, or to ensure a soft landing for sensitive components. Iden- tification beacons and locational aids offer a means of consistently retrieving the payload. For systems landing on water, flotation airbags can keep the payload encap- sulated and above water until recovery personnel ar- rive. Guided parachute delivery systems have made sig- In addition to recovery of the primary capsule that nificant technology advances in recent years and now may contain suborbital experiments, recovery systems provide a reliable means of recovering payloads rang- have also been assessed for the ability to recover ing from tens of pounds up to forty thousand pounds. equipment used for external atmospheric research. These recent advances have been required to resupply Mid-air retrieval is a technique available for recov- US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Joint Precision ery of payloads that cannot be subjected to any landing Airdrop System (JPADS) technology has been utilized loads. Such systems utilize a helicopter to hook a para- since early 2007 as an alternative to land based convoy chute and payload in flight. This approach was routine- resupply. Substantial DoD investment in this technolo- ly used in the 1960s to recover film during the Corona- gy coupled with driving requirements for high reliabili- Discoverer missions. ty and low cost has resulted in the development of pre- This purpose of this paper is to review the current cision recovery capabilities readily extensible to sub- state of the art of recovery systems and discuss how a orbital vehicles and payloads combination of leveraging emerging technologies and applying a modular approach to selection and design of recovery subsystems has the potential to provide unique, superior, and reliable solutions to the recovery of next generation suborbital vehicles.

96 LPI Contribution No. 1534

SOLAR SYSTEM ASTRONOMY WITH SUBORBITAL CREWED SPACECRAFT: ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES. F. Vilas1 and L. Sollitt2, 1MMT Observatory, PO Box 210065, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, [email protected], 2Department of Physics, The Citadel, 171 Moutrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409, [email protected].

Introduction: Observational astronomy has benefited although they offered platforms that were flexible - greatly from the advent of spaceflight. Space-based able to be positioned away from clouds or in the line of observatories have the advantage of being able to study a planetary occultation, for example - the service ceil- astronomical targets without atmospheric losses caused ings of these aircraft limit their altitudes: the advan- by ultraviolet (UV) absorption in ozone layers at 50- tages of observing above ozone absorption in the UV km altitude above the Earth. Absorptions due to the at 50 km, or any higher altitudes, cannot be met. telluric water content beginning in the near infrared Human-tended observations on suborbital flights (NIR) at 0.73 µm, and extending non-uniformly can observe spectral regions inaccessible from the through the mid-IR with increasing absorptivity, are Earth’s surface, while limiting the developmental ex- also eliminated above 100 km. Major advances across pense and maximizing the flexibility of the flight all fields of astronomy have been made with space- hardware. Simply by inserting “human-in-the-loop”, borne telescopes in Earth orbit (e.g., Hubble Space real-time adjustments and decisions about the function- Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope). ing and execution of the experiment are also possible. Existing space-borne robotic telescopes cannot, A reusable equipment suite that can be reflown multi- however, observe near the Sun (for example, the solid ple times maximizes investment in equipment cost. angle excluded around the Sun for HST is 50o [1]; for Telescope System Needs and Challenges: For SST, it is 82.5o [2]) A unique need exists to observe Solar System observations, a crewed suborbital system Solar System objects remotely from Earth orbit, using comprises the telescope/detector/data recorder instru- telescopes that can point within that solid angle ex- mentation, the suborbital spacecraft (including the pi- cluded for most of the robotic telescopic spacecraft. lot), and the human in the loop. Robust designs for the From Earth’s heliocentric distance, observations of the hardware incorporated in the spacecraft advance plane- Aten and inner-Earth asteroids, Sun-grazing comets, tary sciences use of these suborbital spacecraft, and comets approaching the Sun through perihelion, and must address these considerations (and probably the planets Mercury and Venus, all must be made in more): the vicinity of the Sun. Observations of these objects What hardware is required? Equipment mass, vol- provide clues to the existence, composition and physi- ume for both the stowed position and during operation, cal structure of Solar System materials, which in turn power requirements for operation, power sources for teach us about Solar System evolution and the attrib- all hardware (e.g., camera, gimbal systems). What can utes of populations of objects that threaten the Earth be obtained commercially (e.g., ruggedized commer- through impact. Ground-based observations of these cial optics and cameras)? What must be custom fabri- objects are often constrained to twilight observations cated (e.g., mounting systems including gimbals, with the resulting interference of stray sunlight and brackets, etc.)? effects of a high, rapidly-changing air mass on the ob- How should data be recorded? Commercially- servations. In addition, they still fail to eliminate the available software for data acquisition should be avail- attenuation of light at different wavelengths caused by able for use; no real-time data streaming from the the Earth’s atmosphere. spacecraft should be required, and no data storage re- Suborbital robotic rockets and balloons have carried quirements should be levied on the vehicle. instrumentation to high altitudes in the past to study How can the suborbital flight environment be opti- some of these astronomical targets in inaccessible mized? A single experiment likely will take up an en- spectral regions. These experiments are likely to be tire flight. Pointing and spacecraft stability require- single or limited flights. If something fails to operate ments probably limit the number of experiments re- properly, the results can range from a nonproductive to quiring pointing on a flight, and are likely not suitable catastrophic flight. for flying tourists. Night launch could be required for Aircraft ranging from fully equipped observatories some temporally-driven experiments. What safety such as the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, to NASA constraints exist? F/A-18 aircraft outfitted with portable photometers and What special requirements are levied by reusable data recorders, have been used in the past to conduct suborbital spacecraft? A telescope system probably is astronomical observations. These experiences offer mounted to observe through a window on the space- many “lessons learned” about structuring and execut- craft. Transmissions requirements could require a cus- ing astronomical observations during a flight. But, tom window. Degradation of the window with reflight Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 97

must be considered. Creative means of light and heat (1) Different mineralogical composition suggests a shading from sunlight are required. different grain density (object mass divided by volume Solar System Study Example: Target acquisition occupied only by mineral grains). Asteroid densities and tracking for faint, moving point sources represents measured are bulk densities (object mass divided by the greatest observational challenge. Solar System volume of material grains and pore spaces) [5]. Bulk targets that could benefit from the scientific data pro- densities of asteroids divided into the two broad classi- vided by human-tended suborbital spacecraft, and the fications of C (1.4 gm/cm3) and S (2.7 gm/cm3) vary design challenges presented by them, illustrate the util- by almost a factor of 2. Bulk density differences will ity of these types of observations. As an example, affect mass calculations needed for mitigation efforts. consider an inner-Earth asteroid mentioned above: The mineralogical composition of the asteroidal mate- From ground-based telescopes, these asteroids re- rial is one factor in understanding the bulk density of quire twilight observations through high atmospheric the asteroid. air masses for both asteroid searches and photometric (2) The geometric albedo (percent reflected light) or spectral characterization. These objects are also among asteroids can vary through a range of 0.03 to point sources. These asteroids are, however, compel- 0.5. A factor of 10 difference in albedo translates to a ling to observe and study both scientifically and opera- factor of 3 difference in diameter of the object. The tionally. They are likely representative of daughter size difference will affect the design of NEO strike asteroids that moved to near-Earth space following the mitigation techniques for a given object. Visible pho- collisional destruction of a main-belt asteroid, but tometry provides one means of estimating geometric could be extinct comets or comet fragments. Near- albedo through assumptions about absolute magnitude, Earth asteroids do not have stable orbits; they survive a H, from photometric measurements [6]. Thermal IR few Myr before crashing into the Sun, a terrestrial radiometry coupled with visible photometry provides body, or being ejected from the Solar System [3], [4]. an extremely accurate measure of the albedo. We benefit scientifically from observing these objects Characterizing asteroid compositions, size, and as they represent asteroids that were disrupted during structural state requires both visible photometry and recent Solar System history, and can be windows into thermal infrared radiometry. Narrowband filters at the interior composition and formation conditions that specified wavelengths would elucidate the surface occurred in the inner main asteroid belt, much less mineralogy well. A camera with a sufficiently wide affected by surface alterations due to exposure in space field of view would be able to capture a known aster- (“space weathering”). oid in its FOV; stable tracking allows for longer inte- The near-Earth asteroids also represent the popula- gration times which allows us to acquire photometry of tion of objects most likely to produce the next major fainter objects. impacting body to the Earth. An impactor has the ca- Visible and NIR spectral region photometry should pability of wreaking major damage to the Earth’s liv- include filters to define the existence of iron-bearing ing occupants. For the first time in human history, we silicates and phyllosilicates, and the overall trend of have the technological ability to address mitigating this the slope of a featureless spectrum. Thermal infrared issue. Designing this technological capability requires radiometry requires mid-IR observations made at a an inventory of the number and physical characteristics wavelength near 10 µm. Measuring temperature from of NEAs. As well, an imminent impactor on its final observations at two different thermal IR wavelengths approach to the Earth with limited time for study could permits a measurement of albedo. Background signal also be a good candidate for rapid response observa- for thermal IR observations is greatly reduced, and tions by suborbital human-tended spacecraft. affords better detection of a faint NEA. Asteroid reflectance spectra are governed by the The equipment described here can be used for crystal structure of surface materials. Most NEAs have short-notice targets of opportunity, or objects for reflectance spectra similar to those of iron-bearing which space-based observations provide significant mafic silicates (e.g., olivines, pyroxenes, plagioclases), advantage. Other examples covering the range of pos- consistent with the S-class asteroids that dominate the sible Solar System targets will be presented. inner main asteroid belt. Other NEAs, however, have References: [1] __ (2007) HST Primer for Cycle characteristics similar to the C-class asteroids that 17, 2.3 Pointing Constraints. [2] Gehrz, R., et al. dominate the outer main belt, many of which have re- (2007) Rev. Sci. Instrum. 78, 011302. [3] Morbidelli, flectance spectra similar to aqueously-altered rocks A., et al. (2002), in Asteroids III, pp. 409- 422, U. Az (e.g., phyllosilicates, iron alteration materials). Physi- Press. [4] Bottke, W. F., Jr., et al., (2002) Icarus 156, cal properties of these different minerals vary, suggest- 399 – 433. [5] Britt, D., et al. (2002), in Asteroids III, ing important differences among asteroids of these pp. 485 - 500, U. Az Press. [6] Harris, A. W., and La- classes. Two examples here show the need for knowl- gerros, J. S. V., (2002) Asteroids III, pp. 205 - 218, U. edge of the different properties possible for asteroids. Az Press. 98 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Use of Suborbital Flight to Elucidate the Role of Tonic Otolith Stimulation Due to Gravity in Balance Testing and Orientation Tasks. C.Wall, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Boston MA 02114, [email protected].

Introduction. Suborbital fight provides an opportunity for further understanding of tests for the clinical evaluation of otolith function, the tonic effect of gravity upon certain tests of oculomotor function, as well as a better understanding the use of tactile cues for spatial orientation. Each of these three ideas will be briefly explored.

Clinical evaluation of otolith function. The vestibular evoked myogenic potential or VEMP uses sound to stimulate the saccules that are the portion of the otolith organs exposed to a tonic 1 g field on Earth. The saccular response to sound activates the vestibular nucleus and generates a reflex in the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the neck. This almost completely unilateral reflex is measured using electromyography (EMG) and is usually an averaged response to a succession of tone bursts. Abnormalities are commonly detected as a change in the amplitudes of certain parts of the averaged response. The vestibular afferent nerves are characterized by spontaneous activity whose amount depends somewhat on the diameter of an individual nerve fiber, but also upon the strength of the gravity field. How much the average EMG response depends on the latter is not well studied. Suborbital flight, with moderate exposure times to altered gravity, is a way of better understanding the effect of tonic gravity upon the VEMP. The test procedure and apparatus could both be quickly adapted for use in suborbital flight experiments. One factor that is crucial for taking VEMs is the correct loading of the sternocleidomastoid muscle itself. In some cases, the weight of the head is used to load the muscle. This would obviously not work in suborbital flight, but it is not difficult to have the subject apply a known force against a pad to accomplish correct loading. Experiments would likely start with subjects having normal 1 g VEMP responses, then progress to subjects with saccular lesions.

Oculomotor function tests. While the effect of gravity on responses to optokinetic stimuli such is moving striped patterns is well known, the gravity effects on certain volitional tasks is not as well-studied. Saccades or voluntary quick eye movements from on target to another have been studied in parabolic flight, but the emphasis has been on so-called “reflexive” saccades. Making a movement to a target that is no longer visible – a so-called “memory” saccade is less well studied, and may very well be influenced by g level, since g level effects the sense of orientation. For this test, the subject must look back to the site of a previously shown target using memory of where that target had been. A sound cue then prompts the subject to shift gaze back to the site of the memorized target. The accuracy and timing of the memory saccade would be recorded. These non-reflexive saccades are thought to be sensitive to mild brain disorders, including mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that could have an effect on cognitive function. Thus, it may be possible to see whether the exposure to microgravity on suborbital flight has an subtle effect on brain function. Both the test protocol and the eye movement response measurements for these tests should be quickly adaptable to suborbital experiments.

Tactile Cues for Spatial Orientation. Vibrotactile cues have been successfully used for pilot orientation, and recently have been shown to help those with balance disorders better maintain their balance while standing and walking in a 1 g setting. One interesting finding is that the spatial resolution of the vibrotactile display needed to maintain postural Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 99

stability is unexpectedly low. Using tactile vibrators placed on the cardinal body orientations (forward, right, backward, and left), a spatial resolution of 90 degrees does as well as using 16 directions with a spatial resolution of 22.5 degrees. The figure shows typical responses with and without vibrotactile feedback of body position This result may be attributed to the idea that there are really only two postural control systems in humans while standing in 1 g: an anterior-posterior one and a mediolateral one.

Vibrotactile feedback reduces the degree of wavering while standing on a moving surface. Left figure shows subject wavering with vibrotactile belt turned off. Right is with belt turned on.

But what about using vibrotactile displays to orient people in microgravity? Would a spatial resolution of perhaps 45 degrees be sufficient for self-navigation in microgravity? Another related question is whether it is possible to give a person their own “artificial horizon” in microgravity using a vibrotactile display. Limited data from subjects with Mal de Debarquement Syndrome suggest that such a display can help a person who subjectively feels they are walking on a downward sloping ramp, but logically knows they are not on a slope be able to use the vibrotactile display to “cancel out” the illusion of the slope. Thus, experiments with vibrotactile displays in suborbital flight would be helpful in evaluating this type of device for more prolonged flight.

Conclusions. Suborbital flight would seem to provide a micro gravity environment of a sufficiently long duration so that the effect of gravity upon these three approaches to vestibular/balance testing and potential spatial orientation could be evaluated in a time- and cost-effective way. 100 LPI Contribution No. 1534

MY-ASTRONAUT.ORG: VOTE FOR AND FUND SUBORBITAL SPACE HEROES. E. F. Wallace, Giraffe ‘n’ Ant Productions (EPO), 7516 Holly Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, [email protected]

Introduction: “We did it!” cheered crowds world- speedy fast.” The most important aspect of space wide as Apollo 11 crew members toured their home tourism, however, is the ability to view Earth from planet. WE put men on the moon. Not just Americans, space, according to over 60 percent of respondents to but the world did it! First we were all glued to the TV the Futron Space Tourism Market Study. and then we threw ticker tape parades. We gave them a Ah Ha Moment. “A Chinese tale tells of some men hero’s welcome. sent to harm a young girl who, upon seeing her beauty, Through the portal of suborbital space tourism, we become her protectors rather than her violators,” says have the chance to rally enthusiasm worldwide for earth Astronaut Taylor Wang. “That’s how I felt seeing the stewardship through empowerment: WE can do it! Giv- earth for the first time. I could not help but love and en a chance to choose our new heroes, we will follow cherish her.” their epic journeys and welcome them home with huge Similarly a 10-year-old African student imagined crowds—as their grassroots sponsors. For the industry to how she might feel. “I’d say it was amazing from up prosper, we each need to feel that space tourists are My there, but I would think in my head…we can make it Astronauts, that we have a synergistic and personal rela- more beautiful if we take more care of it.” tionship with our NextGen heroes. Sharing the Vision. While one may be weightless Hero’s Journey: What suborbital space tourism peering through portals for only a few minutes in space, needs now is not just a memorable logo or tag line, but a an ah ha! moment of inspiration takes just a fraction of a unifying and compelling story—a transcultural mono- second. Multiply the number of flights by the number of myth, a One Story. Monomyths require heroes, accord- passengers who are willing to take the risk to see the ing to Joseph Campbell, who “venture forth from the precious curvature of the Earth…..The ripple effect of world of common day into a region of supernatural possibilities has no bounds. wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a de- Social Experiment. Only about 500 astronaunts cisive victory is won: the hero(es) come back from this have been in space. With frequent flights, full human mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on payloads and a long term goal of including at least two (their) fellow man.” Sounds like a suborbital spaceflight persons from each nation, could space tourism facilitate to me, but the operative word is “common.” environmental consciousness to reach a critical mass Elitism—Deterrent to Suborbital Enthusiasm: faster? A social experiment of an unprecedented magni- “One of the discouraging messages that I get from kids tude awaits. is that they feel that the space effort is intangible. They Social Activism Needs Humans: When I asked feel that it is elitist and there’s no part in it for them,” students whom they would want sitting next to them in a according to Lonnie Schorer, author of Kids to Space: suborbital space flight, none of them mentioned a scien- A Space Traveler’s Guide. tific instrument. Initially space tourism looks like it will belong to the economically advantaged—as did airline travel in its ear- There is much to be learned from instruments that ly years. But would Henry Ford’s workers have suc- detect images invisible to the human eye, for example, ceeded in transforming transportation with such vigor but humans have the ability not just to see but to view 100 years ago if it had not been for the fact that those Earth’s landscape: its dimensions, textures, colors and who worked on the line could also afford a Model T? materials. “The human brain understands scenes, places Recently students at a magnet middle school for and events quickly and effortlessly, outperforming the aerospace technology near Washington DC watched a most advanced artificial vision system,” asserts Dr. Virgin Galactic flight animation. They were spellbound. Aude Oliva, Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuro- Their courses don’t cover the advances in commercial science at MIT. This is done in fractions of a second be- spaceflight. But the spell was broken when they heard cause the human brain has at least 250 million miles of the $200,000 price. However, when asked to consider wiring—long enough to reach from the earth to the the possibility of going into space as a reward for com- moon! And back to the heart. What boons will be be- munity service, smiles returned to their faces and far- stowed on mankind based on a shift in space tourists’ away looks of adventure to their eyes. perceptions, their stories and resultant commitments? Mission: Stewardship: Some young students say My Astronaut—Drawing From The Pool of the coolest thing about suborbital spaceflight is that it is Heroes: In order to create the possibility of a mono- a “humongous roller coaster ride” that goes “super myth to arise from the global culture, I propose that a non-profit organization named My Astronaut be created. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 101

It would be dedicated to an all nation, cross-disciplinary but they also underscored the fact that many diverse pro- experience of space tourism for the purpose of Earth’s fessions are necessary to support this developing indus- stewardship. try. Now, not later. Knowledge without compassion Space Education is “Higher” Education. Every 9 could wreak havoc in a solar system that is already hos- seconds in the United States, another high school student tile to human life. All the more reason My Astronaut is drops out. A large percentage of the world’s population necessary to contribute to the solar system’s care. Even need to believe in space tourism to inspire a sufficient our children understand that there are still lessons to be number of people to staff it and its ancillary services— whether or not they personally want to leave Earth’s at- learned before we migrate. mosphere. Students in middle school need encourage- Stepping onto the Hero’s Path: My Astronaut ment now to finish high school and to choose higher ed- would be open to all candidates who take a stand to live ucation if only to support the 15,000 projected tourists in a life of inspiration as Earth stewards before, during and 2020. after the flight. The synergy of popular support could According to Schorer, “It’s hard for regular teach- precipitate an unprecedented worldwide shift away from ers who are overloaded with required curriculum…to the dangers of global warming. convey to children the information they would need to Telling the Story. Candidates would include the know to be able to choose one of these trades, profes- great communicators of our culture—musicians, visual sions, or careers….We need International Space High artists, dancers, video game designers and filmmakers— and Middle Schools.” Perhaps the ISU in France could so that their stories and those of fellow astronauts could be a model. be told in multiple ways. Other than School. My Astronaut would collaborate Physical Challenges. Extreme sports enthusiasts extensively with existing community organizations such as urban skateboarders and breakdancers would be which offer programs ranging from curriculum supple- encouraged as well as those with careers in the most ment to encouraging teenage entrepreneurs. We would dangerous occupations such as fishermen, loggers, steel- actively make connections between space tourism and a workers and waste management workers. myriad number of professions: hospitality, business ad- Global Understanding. Multinational groups of as- ministration, urban planning, and communications as tronaut candidates would be formed to support each oth- well as the sciences. er to promote international cooperation and teambuild- Mentoring the Dream. In centuries past apprentices ing as well as education and public outreach. spent years under the tutelage of master craftsmen. Structure. My Astronaut would be a voting and Those who are actively engaged in suborbital tourism fundraising system built both on social networking via and research must now step up to the plate as long term the internet and personal contact. mentors to K-12 as well as college students. Modeled on Obama’s successful fundraising strate- A Hero’s Welcome Home: Before the first My gies, My Astronaut would be developed simultaneously Astronaut ship launches, spaceports will need to prepare in countries with easy access to the internet as well as for the thousands of supporters who will see Earth’s geographic and economic areas without it. It would by- stewards off and hail their heroes home. pass the well-worn circuit of traditional big donors and References: [1] Beard S.S. and Starzyk J. (2002) lottery sytems The selection process would be placed in Futron Space Tourism Market Study, 14 [2] Campbell the hands of voters inspired by the environmentally and J. (1968) The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 30 [3] socially responsible lives of the astronaut candidates. Green J. (2008) The Amazing Money Machine, The At- Efforts of team leaders in remote areas would be fa- lantic Online, theatlantic.com/doc/200806/obama-fi- cilitated by donations of proper equipment to ensure nance (accessed Nov 12 2009) [4] Livingston D. (2006) communication with and connection to the global effort. The Space Show thespaceshow.com/detail.asp?q=496 Twitter, podcasts and You-Tube clips would keep the (accessed Nov 12, 2009) [5] Oliva A. (2009) MIT Fac- synergy alive. ulty website bcs.mit.edu/people/oliva.html (accessed Donations would be limited to small amounts over Nov 12 2009) [6] Schorer, L. Kids to Space: A Space time. Donors would be encouraged to fund more than Travel Guide (2006) [7] Wang T (Year Unknown) one astronaut candidate. homepages.wmich.edu/~korista/astronauts.html Preparing the Hero’s Way: When asked whom they would like to be accompanied by into space, middle school students’ answers included doctors, lawyers, physical trainers, and “a really good insurance guy.” Perhaps answers were based on a combination of fear of the risk involved as well as living inside the Beltway, 102 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Applied Low-Gravity Fluids Research: Potential for Suborbital Flights. M. M. Weislogel1, 1Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, OR. [email protected]

Abstract: Significant challenges remain for the designers of multiphase fluid systems for spacecraft: liquid fuels and cryogens storage and handling, phase change temperature control systems, and various life support systems requiring water processing. Such challenges are acute for such strongly gravity- dependent phenomena that cannot be thoroughly tested on the ground. Frequent and affordable suborbital flight opportunities provide the potential to gain key knowledge and experience not possible using either shorter duration ground- based facilities or longer duration orbiting spacecraft. Ex- amples of applied fluids research employing drop towers and low-gravity aircraft are highlighted that touch on high performance cooling systems and phase separations for waste water collection and circulation. Such studies are significantly limited to ‘subscale’ or ‘subsystem’ levels at best and the potential for dramatic increases in designer confidence and technology readiness are discussed in light of increasingly competitive suborbital flight opportunities. In particular, for high speed flow phenomena, the possibilities for applied research relating to system level tests (start-up, shutdown, transients, etc.), technology demonstrations, and scale-up are addressed.

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 103

Convergence of Space Tourist Processing and Suborbital Payload Processing in Spaceport Facility Design. Samuel W. Ximenes, Exploration Architecture Corporation (XArc), San Antonio, TX ([email protected])

Introduction: New spaceports to service the • Placement of protective covers for vehicle windows commercial spaceflight industry are in development and other miscellaneous with either new construction, refurbishment of existing facilities, or at the proposal stage for various locations By contrast, payload processing for scientific sub- around the globe. Functional requirements for design orbital flights adds to the above list with requirements concepts for these facilities have mostly been centered for example, of clean room protective spaces for scien- on servicing the needs of the space tourist experience tific payloads, additional degree of spacecraft re- and processing the spacecraft for rapid turnaround. sources and ground support equipment for payload The advent of an expanded market for spacecraft op- integration into the spacecraft. These impact storage, erators offering suborbital payload services places ad- floor space, work area and functional adjacency re- ditional unique requirements on facilities for func- quirements, which in turn may influence processing tional design that optimizes operational concepts for turnaround timelines. Environmental implications may processing either the tourist and/or the scientific pay- include new accommodations for hazardous waste load. management. Typical functional maintenance areas competing for floor space allocation include: Tourist or Payload Specialist Operations: Op- • Flight Prep and Overhaul erational considerations from a facilities point of view • Engineering & Maintenance very widely between accommodating the tourist ex- • Bench Testing/ Backshops perience including family and friends, and the payload • Tools and Support Equipment specialist experience overseeing a scientific payload. • Storage Operations Spacecraft operators flying each category of passenger • Breathing Oxygen/ Liquid Oxygen either together or as separate dedicated flights should • NDI/ XRAY consider the operational impact on their pre and post • Cables/ Wiring flight processing operations and implication for facili- • Hydraulics ties design. • Washing of Spacecraft • Rocket Motors For the space tourist, many of the activities and processes within the building will be centered on the Due to the sophisticated and complex nature of astronaut journey that progresses from initial reception sensitive payloads, it may be necessary to accomplish through training, food service, launch and celebration. the final prelaunch payload processing in a specially A segregation and hierarchy of users is likely inte- designed facility located close or adjacent to the main grated into facility design layout to maintain varying staging area. The requirements and characteristics of degrees of access and exclusivity. Meanwhile in the specific payloads will vary. Design of Class 10,000 or hangar area spacecraft flight prep and overhaul activi- even Class 100,000 clean room bays, or something as ties strive to progress at a sufficient pace to maintain a simple as a clean tent area for payload processing are turnaround schedule for more than one flight per day. considerations for the facility design. A standardized A sample of key systems and hardware requiring rou- payload container system may be employed, adding tine checks and flight prep for flight turnaround may additional facility accommodation and spacecraft inte- include: gration requirements. • Installation/change-out of rocket motors • Fueling Conclusions: A payload operations concept for • Change-out/charging of batteries science flights may be at odds with the flight profile • Thermal Protection System (TPS) cleaning/ overhaul for a typical tourist flight. The preferred concept of • Decal re-application operations for science flights and integration of sci- • Oxygen servicing ence passengers with other spaceflight participants • Environmental Control System (ECS) servicing (space tourists) may impact ground pre and post flight • Replacement of nose skid shoe processes and flight turnaround scheduling. The de- • Seat widgets gree of convergence of these two operational scenarios • General cleaning & interior/cabin overhaul for space port and spacecraft operators should be con- • Data download sidered in spaceport facility design and operations. 104 LPI Contribution No. 1534

Life Science Opportunities in Suborbital Flight

Laurence R. Young, Sc.D. Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology

ABSTRACT

Microgravity effects on biological systems occur from the cellular level to the organ level, and effect the whole body as well. The best known ones are those which affect the human astronaut, including bone and muscle, cardiovascular and sensori-motor systems. Some of the influences require days to weeks to observe, whereas others occur within moments of weightlessness. Sub-orbital flight represents an opportunity to make frequent and inexpensive repeat measurements – on animal and cellular preparations and on the flyers themselves, to complement and prepare for orbital studies. In particular, the opportunity to make frequent observations during the transition periods from hypo-g to hyper-g will fill a gap between the short parabolic flights and the highly constrained orbital missions. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 105

BRAIN HEMODYNAMIC CHANGES MEASURED WITH NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY DURING ALTERED GRAVITY. Thomas Zeffiro, Quan Zhang and Gary Strangman Neural Systems Group, CNY 149 Room 10.033, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129 Email: [email protected]

Introduction: During suborbital flights, rapidly Its use could provide information pertaining to the changing gravitational forces are expected to signify- integrity of cerebral autoregulation mechanisms in the cantly challenge the capabilities of the neurovascular face of phasic gravitational variations and could be of system to sustain normal neurophysiological opera- great practical value in routine physiological monitor- tions. While the brain has robust autoregulatory me- ing of individuals participating in commercial subor- chanisms to maintain stable perfusion, the degree to bital flights. which exposure to hyper- or microgravity (μG) may compromise these mechanisms has not been extensively investigated and is not well understood. Prolonged μG is known to reduce hydrostatic gradients and cause cephalad fluid shifts that could interfere with accurate brain activity monitoring. These changes not only induce adaptive hemodynamic responses by the systemic circulation, but also influence cerebral perfusion pressure and blood flow. Our aim was to determine whether acute changes in gravity, and the attendant changes in brain perfusion, would permit sensitive detection of brain hemodynamics measured using near-infrared neuroimaging (NIN).

Methods: Using a novel mobile NIN device fabricated in our laboratory, we recorded continuous scalp and brain hemodynamic changes during a flight consisting of 20 parabolas, including simulations of Mars Participant wearing our NINscan mobile brain monitor- gravity, Lunar gravity and microgravity. Each parabola ing system during a period of microgravity. Successful continuous measurements of brain hemodynamics were consisted of approximately 30 s of climb and 30 s of made during 20 periods of reduced gravity. freefall. During the flight, the participant was seated upright, facing forward, with his head immobilized with a cervical collar for the first 16 parabolas, then floating freely for the final 4 parabolas. Martian

Results: We recorded eight physiological data channels at 250Hz throughout the flight, including acceleration (Gx and Gz), cardiac electrical activity, respiration, and both peripheral and brain hemodynam- Lunar ics from dorsal prefrontal cortex. Hemodynamic changes associated with gravity alterations were similar in magnitude to those observed in our ongoing ground analog head-down tilt experiments. Following Zero gravity transitions, we also observed differential regu- lation of brain relative to scalp blood volume.

Discussion: Gravitational variation over a range Total hemoglobin (proportional to blood volume) for the encountered during spaceflight resulted in clearly de- near detector (black; sensitive to scalp and skull) and far tectible modulations in human cerebral blood volume. detector (blue; additionally sensitive to brain tissue) Although these are the first such measurements ac- plotted as a function of gravity loading (green). Red complished in microgravity, mobile NIN may prove to circles indicate periods where brain blood volume exhi- be a practical means to achieve continuous monitoring bited a lag relative to the blood volume of the scalp. of cerebral physiology during suborbital spaceflight. NOTES